Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"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.
U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington. Feb. 28, 2025. (Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky is looking to back out of a critical minerals agreement with the United States, U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on March 30.
Ukrainian officials are currently reviewing the latest version of a minerals deal, which reportedly grants the U.S. unprecedented control over Ukraine's natural resources through a joint investment fund.
Trump told reporters he believes Zelensky no longer wants to sign the agreement and warned that his refusal would carry consequences.
"He's trying to back out of the rare earth deal and if he does that, he's got some problems, big, big problems," Trump said, according to Reuters.
"He wants to be a member of NATO, but he's never going to be a member of NATO. He understands that."
"Nothing that could threaten Ukraine's accession to the EU can be accepted," he said.
Bloomberg reported on March 29 that Kyiv was requesting changes to the current proposal, including greater investment from the U.S. and more clarity on how the joint fund would operate.
The Trump administration has touted the minerals deal as an essential part of Ukraine's path to peace, but has failed to offer concrete security guarantees in exchange for broad access to resources. Kyiv and Washington were set to sign an earlier version of the agreement on Feb. 28, but the plan fell apart after a heated Oval Office dispute between Zelensky, Trump, and Vice President JD Vance.
The White House has described the minerals deal as a mechanism for the U.S. to "recoup" some of the financial aid it has provided to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
Trump has also said he wants to explore a natural resources deal with Russia. Following a March 18 phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Trump said the U.S. hoped to expand trade with Moscow and gain access to "very big forms of rare earth."
Putin previously said on Feb. 24 that Russia is open to working with foreign partners on developing rare earth metals, including in occupied regions of Ukraine.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
