Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
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.
Former U.S. President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks during a campaign rally in the South Bronx in New York City, U.S., on May 23, 2024. (Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump suggested at a fundraising event that he would have bombed Moscow in response to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the Washington Post (WP) reported on May 28, citing several anonymous donors and advisers.
In a piece detailing some of the claims and demands the former U.S. president has made while on a fundraising drive for his current presidential bid, the paper also said he would attack Beijing if China invaded Taiwan on his watch.
According to WP, Trump's comments "surprised some of the donors."
Trump has not publicly threatened to bomb Moscow but, in a phone call leaked in March 2022, Trump told a friend he had privately made such a threat to Russian President Vladimir Putin himself.
Publicly, Trump described Putin as a "genius" in the days leading up to Russia's full-scale invasion when Moscow moved troops into eastern Ukraine.
He has also regularly claimed he could stop the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours" though he has never publicly stated how he would do this.
According to the Washington Post, Trump also said he believes that both Moscow and Kyiv "want to save face, they want a way out," claiming that Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories would not object to being part of Russia."
If the deal and the idea is simply to give our territories, then it is very primitive," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response.
Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, going up against incumbent President Joe Biden.
In a bid to raise the gigantic sums necessary to run a presidential campaign, WP also reports Trump as telling both new and regular donors they would have to significantly increase what they're offering.
One businessman who usually gave Republicans $2-3 million would have to give a $25 million or $50 million contribution or he would not be "very happy."
Kateryna Denisova
