"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
Emergency services fight a fire following a Russian guided aerial bomb strike near Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 14, 2024. (Vlada Liberova/Libkos/Getty Images)
Russia has used more than 800 guided aerial bombs against Ukraine this week alone, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on June 30.
Guided aerial bombs are precision-guided munitions that have a shorter range than missiles, but are far cheaper to produce. The weapons are launched from aircraft within Russian territory, outside the range of Ukrainian air defense.
Civilian casualties from guided aerial bomb attacks are often reported in areas close to the Russian border, such as Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Sumy oblasts.
"Ukraine needs the necessary forces and means to destroy the carriers of these bombs, in particular, Russian combat aircraft where they are," Zelensky said.
"Long-range strikes and modern air defense are the basis for stopping the daily Russian terror," he said, thanking "all partners who understand this."
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on May 25 that Russia has dropped nearly 10,000 guided bombs on Ukraine since the start of 2024.
