Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"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.
A photo showing a Ukrainian soldier in the recaptured aggregate plant in the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast. (Ukraine's military intelligence)
Russian troops are using "the maximum range of weapons" to attack the recently recaptured aggregate plant in the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Kharkiv Group of Forces spokesperson Vitalii Sarantsev said on Sept. 30.
Describing the situation as "difficult," Sarantsev said Russian forces were continuously assaulting in the Kharkiv sector, and had made the Vovchansk plant its "number one goal."
Russian troops had been in control of the facility for several months before it was recaptured by Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) special forces. on Sept. 24., HUR previously reported.
"(The plant) is not a tactical target as such for (Russia). But at the same time, the loss of this facility was a very powerful blow to its image," the spokesperson said.
Speaking on national television, Sarantsev said that Russian forces are carrying out attacks against the plant with guided aerial bombs and "Solntsepek" multiple rocket launchers.
"In other words, (Russia) is following its standard practice of destroying what it could not capture," he added.
Ukrainian forces captured around 20 Russian soldiers and killed "several dozen" others during an operation to recapture an aggregate plant in the town of Vovchansk in Kharkiv Oblast, a member of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) claimed last week.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
Vovchansk is an embattled town some 60 kilometers (37 miles) northeast of Kharkiv that has seen heavy battles since Russia launched a new offensive in the area in May.
While initially gaining ground, the Russian offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast has quicklybogged down, with Russian troops reportedly suffering heavy losses.
The intensity of fighting has decreased somewhat compared to other sectors in Ukraine's east near Pokrovsk, Vuhledar and Toretsk.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Chris York
