"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.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg holds a press conference at NATO headquarters during the first of two days of defense ministers' meetings on Feb. 14, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium. (Omar Havana / Getty Images)
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Feb. 15 said that the popular support for the alliance is at a record high in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, a Kyiv Independent journalist reported.
Stoltenberg's statement at the NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels comes days after Donald Trump, the Republican Party's hopeful for the upcoming U.S. presidential election, raised concerns with anti-NATO comments.
Trump, whose skepticism of the alliance was apparent already during his previous tenure in the White House, said he would encourage Russia to do "whatever the hell they want" to any NATO member country that does not hit the 2% of GDP defense spending mark.
Stoltenberg said that he expects "the United States to continue to be a staunch ally for at least three reasons."
"First, it is in the national security interest of the United States to have a strong NATO. Second, there is actually broad bipartisan support for NATO in the United States," Stoltenberg said.
As the third reason, the secretary-general said that the recently voiced criticism was not aimed primarily against NATO but against allies who are not spending enough money on collective defense.
Stoltenberg believes it to be "a valid point and a fair case to raise from the U.S. side that European allies and Canada did not spend enough."
The secretary-general stressed that this trend is beginning to change with record-high defense investments and as more allies are meeting the 2% target. Stoltenberg said earlier this week that 18 of the 31 NATO members are expected to meet the threshold this year, an increase of seven countries compared to 2023.
Trump's influence has impact not only within NATO but also on the U.S. support for Ukraine. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, considered close to the Trumpist faction within the Republican Party, continues opposing the foreign aid bill approved by the Senate, which contains $60 billion in support for Ukraine.
According to Stoltenberg, the package will most likely be approved "because there is a broad majority in the Congress for supporting Ukraine."
"I visited the United States and spent much time in Congress meeting politicians from both sides of the line, and they confirmed the message that there is actually broad support for Ukraine," the secretary-general said.
"I also met with the speaker of the House, Mike Johnson, and we actually agreed on a joint statement that clearly stated that President (Vladimir) Putin must not win in Ukraine."
Stoltenberg pointed out, however, that the lack of decision by Congress already has consequences on the ground, as it impacts the flow of support to Ukraine.
"To some extent, this can be compensated by increased support from other allies, and the European allies and Canada are stepping up, are doing more… but with the United States being by far the biggest ally, of course, it is vital that they continue to provide support."
Olena Goncharova
