"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.
The logo of the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., on March 18, 2025. (Roberto Schmidt / AFP via Getty Images)
The White House dismissed nearly all staff at the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) headquarters in Washington, D.C. on March 29, the Washington Post (WP) reported.
The institute plays an active role in mediating conflicts and assisting with peace negotiations in war-torn countries, including Ukraine.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an agency created by U.S. President Donald Trump, terminated between 200 and 300 employees at the institute's headquarters, staff members told the WP on the condition of anonymity.
Most of the institute's overseas staff remain in place, the WP reports.
Trump has granted DOGE broad latitude to slash budgets and fire federal workers in the name of eliminating waste. Headed by billionaire Elon Musk, the world's richest man, DOGE has ordered mass firings and funding cuts despite ongoing legal challenges.
DOGE has previously targeted the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S.-funded media outlets in Ukraine, and an initiative that tracked Russia's forced deportation of Ukrainian children.
The USIP has a staff of around 600 people worldwide. Employees told the WP that the sudden dismissals would have an immediate effect on conflict zones.
"We put mediators in place to help stitch these communities back together," one employee said.
"So it does have a dramatic effect on violence on the ground immediately by just pulling these assets out."
The terminations come as the Trump administration continues its efforts to negotiate a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine. Recent talks in Saudia Arabia resulted in a partial ceasefire on energy infrastructure attacks and operations in the Black Sea, though Kyiv has already accused Moscow of resuming strikes against energy facilities.
Thus far, only Ukraine has agreed to a U.S. proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire on all hostilities. Russia continues to refuse.
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.
Alex Cadier
