"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.
F-16 Tiger Demo Team performs on the first day of NATO Days in Ostrava & Czech Air Force Days in Czechia on Sept. 16, 2023. Illustrative purposes only. (Lukas Kabon/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Two new F-16 fighter jets arrived in Slovakia on July 22, the first of 14 that will replace Soviet-era aircraft donated to Ukraine.
Slovakia has given Ukraine 13 MiG-29 fighter jets since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion as they were "unusable" for the country's defense needs but would still be effective for Kyiv's pilots.
Another 12 F-16s will be in the country by the end of the year, Lockheed Martin, the company that manufactures the jets said in a press release.
Slovakia signed the contract for the 14 planes in 2018 but delivery was delayed by the COVID pandemic.
Slovakia's stance on Ukraine has dramatically shifted since with the 2023 parliament election, and the appointment of Prime Minister Robert Fico's new government, which announced it would no longer send arms to Ukraine from its own military stocks, though it does still allow commercial arms sales.
In a stark sign of the shift, last month Slovakia's defense minister accused his predecessor of "treason" for sending the fighter jets to Ukraine, and announced he had filed a criminal complaint regarding the matter.
"Weakening the armed forces in this way, contrary to the constitution, cannot be described in our political dictionary as anything other than treason," Robert Kalinak said in comments reported by the Czech news outlet iROZHLAS.
"I don't know if it legally constitutes a crime, but he is a person who betrayed national values."
Kalinak was taking aim at his predecessor, Jaroslav Nad.
Nad responded to Kalinak's accusation on June 12, saying that all legal considerations had been taken into account before the signing of the deal to hand over the fighter jets.
"Based on that, the government made a decision as a collective body and approved the signing of an international agreement, which it had the right to do," he said.
He added that another similar criminal report regarding the MiG-29 transfer had been "swept off the table."
While the Slovak government has made its disdain for support for Ukraine clear, some of the country's people took matters into their own hands and launched a fundraising drive to purchase artillery shells for Kyiv.
Slovak citizens started their campaign "Ammunition for Ukraine" on April 16 to raise additional funds for the Czech-led initiative to procure shells around the world after the Slovak government refused to participate.
Within less than a month, over 65,000 people donated 4 million euros ($4.3 million), with one donor giving a single donation of 100,000 euros ($107,000).
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Francis Farrell
