The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
The government has approved "reform roadmaps in the rule of law, public administration, and democratic institutions, as well as Ukraine’s negotiation position," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
Russian military police members stand outside an armoured personnel carrier (APC) along a road in the countryside near the northeastern Syrian town of Amuda in Hasakeh province on October 24, 2019, as part of a joint patrol between Russian forces and Syrian Kurdish Asayish internal security forces near the border with Turkey. (Photo credit: DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
Syria cracked down on Wagner mercenaries fighting on its territory in cooperation with the Russian military to stop Wagner's June 23-24 rebellion from spreading, Reuters reported on July 7, citing six undisclosed sources.
The Syrian authorities blocked communications and summoned several mercenary commanders to a Russian military base as Wagner fighters were forced to sign new contracts with the Russian Defense Ministry and leave Syria, Reuters wrote.
According to the news agency, Wagner fielded between 250 and 450 members in Syria, which is a tenth of the total Russian military strength in the country.
Moscow deployed its troops to Syria in 2015, providing support to dictator Bashar al-Assad against multiple anti-government forces. Damascus has been supportive of the Kremlin during the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, even recognizing the "independence" of the Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.
Prigozhin launched a rebellion against the Russian government on June 23 after accusing Russian troops of attacking the mercenaries. Wagner troops occupied Rostov and marched towards Moscow, only to abruptly end the rebellion less than 24 hours after its start.
As a result of an agreement between Wagner's leader and the Kremlin, Prigozhin and his mercenaries were allowed to leave for Belarus.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
