"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.
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.
The aftermath of the Russian missile strike on Poltava, Ukraine, on Sept. 3, 2024. (Red Cross Ukraine)
Editor's note: The story is being updated.
Russian forces launched two ballistic missiles against the city of Poltava on Sept. 3, killing at least 51 and injuring over 271 people, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The Military Institute of Communications and a neighboring medical facility were hit in the attack. The building of the educational institution was partially destroyed, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"The time interval between the alarm and the arrival of the deadly missiles was so short that it caught people during an evacuation to the bomb shelter," the Defense Ministry said.
Many people remain trapped under the rubble, while rescuers and medics continue to work at the scene. As of around 2 p.m. local time, the emergency services had rescued 25 people, 11 of whom were retrieved from the rubble, according to the ministry's statement.
"We express our sincere condolences to the families of the victims. This tragedy is yet another evidence of the enemy's cunning, which stops at no crime to try to intimidate Ukrainians," the ministry said.
"We urge everyone to remain calm and trust only official sources of information. Any speculation on this tragedy is unacceptable," the ministry added.
There were no ceremonies or other events near the military institute at the time of the Russian attack, Dmytro Lazutkin, Defense Ministry spokesperson, said on national television, refuting such unofficial claims.
According to the Defense Ministry, students were studying, and then followed to the shelter after an air raid alert went off, Lazutkin added.
Zelensky said he had instructed an operational investigation into the circumstances of the attack on Poltava. Ukraine's Ground Forces is conducting an investigation to determine "whether enough was done to protect the lives and health of the soldiers at the facility," the military said.
Poltava is a city of around 300,000, located in Poltava Oblast in central Ukraine. The city is situated around 120 kilometers (75 miles) from the border with Russia, and 230 kilometers (143 miles) from the eastern front.
The city and surrounding region are regular targets of Russian drone and missile attacks.
Francis Farrell
