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.
"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.
Ukrainian crew of Leopard 1 battle tank at the test site on Sept. 18, 2023 in Ukraine. (Roman Chop/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Spain is preparing a new aid package for Ukraine, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles announced on May 20 during the U.S.-led Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) meeting, also known as the Ramstein Format.
The new package will contain the second batch of Leopard tanks, which will be delivered by late June, 155mm artillery shells, a new shipment of Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, anti-drone, optronic surveillance and tracking systems, and remote weapon turrets.
Robles said that, in the long term, the upcoming signing of a bilateral security agreement will also reinforce support of Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky was due to travel to Spain in mid-May to sign a bilateral security agreement. But Ukraine's president postponed all international events as Russian forces launched a new offensive on May 10 in northern Kharkiv Oblast.
The Spanish government has not officially revealed the total amount of military aid to Ukraine.
In March, Spanish State Trade Secretary Xiana Mendez said that Spain had provided the Ukrainian military with over 190 million euros (around $206 million) in aid, according to the radio station Cadena SER.
The earlier supplies contained 10 Leopard tanks and eight high-speed patrol boats, as Cadena SER reported.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Nate Ostiller
