Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
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."
Shells are stored at the workshop of the "Forges de Tarbes," which produces 155mm shells, the munition for French Caesar artillery, in Tarbes, southwestern France, on April 4, 2023. (Lionel Bonaventure/Getty Images)
Slovak activists collected over 2.6 million euros ($2.8 million) for the Czech ammunition initiative for Ukraine in five days after the Slovak government refused to participate.
Slovak citizens started their campaign "Ammunition for Ukraine" on April 16 to raise additional funds for the Czech-led initiative of purchasing 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside of Europe to provide Ukraine with them.
Ukrainian forces are facing a critical ammunition shortage, with Russia currently firing shells at a ratio of around 10:1, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky on April 16.
Otto Simko, a 99-year-old Holocaust survivor and journalist, was one of the founders of the Slovak crowdfunding campaign.
"When I heard about the Czech government's initiative, I was very pleased to hear that all ways are being sought to help Ukraine defend itself against the (Russian) aggressor because there is no other way," Simko told Reuters.
Nearly 40,000 Slovaks have contributed to the initiative, with an average donation worth 64 euros ($68), according to the "Ammunition for Ukraine" website.
Activists said that the campaign aims to show that the majority in Slovakia has not supported the government's shift in foreign policy since September's election.
"Many people in Slovakia are ashamed of the government's orientation to Russia. This is the reason people are contributing," said Zuzana Izsakova, one of the organizers.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar said in late March that Slovakia would not send any arms to Ukraine as "the conflict does not have a military solution."
This position echoed Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto's stance. Hungary, the only EU country to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin since the start of the all-out war, also refused to join the initiative.
Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala reported on April 15 that the first 180,000 ammunition rounds for Ukraine have already been contracted as part of the initiative and will be sent to the front line in the coming months.
The initiative may deliver as many as 1.5 million rounds, Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavsky said in an interview with Bloomberg published on March 26.
While the Czech foreign minister declined to give a timeline for the delivery of the shells, Tomas Pojar, a Czech national security adviser, said earlier that the first batches could be sent to Ukraine as early as June.
Kateryna Hodunova
