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.
Rescue workers extinguish a fire after a Russian attack targeted energy infrastructure in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 18, 2022. (Ukrainian State Emergency Service/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The U.K. has allocated nearly 150 million pounds (over $180 million) to support Ukraine's energy sector after recent Russian attacks, the head of the U.K.'s delegation to the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Neil Holland, said on April 18.
Russia has intensified attacks since March, mainly targeting Ukraine's energy infrastructure. Russian forces hit Zaporizhzhia's Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant on March 22in one of the largest attacks on the Ukrainian energy sector since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Russia also destroyed the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant in the city of Ukrainka in Kyiv Oblast on April 11, leading to the loss of 100% of the generation capacity of Ukraine's state energy company Centerenergo.
During the OSCE meeting in Vienna, Holland said that the U.K. will intensify efforts to bolster Ukraine's energy sector, involving its partners from the Group of Seven (G7).
"The U.K. is committed to providing Ukraine with the support it needs to defend itself and to push Russia out of Ukraine's sovereign territory," Holland said, adding that "this is the only path to a just and lasting peace."
President Volodymyr Zelensky previously said that the Trypillia Thermal Power Plant was destroyed because Ukraine had run out of missiles to defend it during an attack.
According to Zelensky, Ukraine needs 25 Patriots to protect the entire country from Russian attacks.
After Kyiv ramped up the calls on allies to receive more air defense systems, Germany launched a new initiative to secure more critically needed air defenses for Ukraine, the Tagesschau outlet reported, citing spokespeople of Germany's defense and foreign ministries.
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.
Abbey Fenbert
