"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
The government has approved "reform roadmaps in the rule of law, public administration, and democratic institutions, as well as Ukraine’s negotiation position," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Ukrainian soldiers with the 57th Motorized Brigade operate at an artillery position on June 9, 2024, near the town of Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images)
Editor's note: This is a breaking news story and is being updated.
Ukraine's 3rd Separate Assault Brigade launched a counterattack in Kharkiv Oblast and advanced almost 2 square kilometers deep into the front line area, the brigade said on Aug. 22.
Earlier in the day, the brigade released a video showing what it claims was the first footage of an "offensive in full swing" filmed in the eastern region.
"The main aim of the operation was to bring down the offensive potential of the 20th Army of the Russian Federation. At the moment, this task has been accomplished," Brigade Commander Andrii Biletskyi said.
It is unclear when the attack was launched, its scale, and the area of the offensive. The brigade said that Russia lost around 300 soldiers in four days, and "a significant amount of equipment and weapons were broken or damaged."
Ukrainian soldiers also took control of a battalion defense area of Russian troops and some Russian strongholds, according to the statement.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these claims.
"The assault operations prevented the enemy's attack from the direction of Makiivka and relieved tension from other critical frontline areas in the neighboring brigades' zones," the brigade said.
The village of Makiivka in Luhansk Oblast is located some 180 kilometers (111 miles) southeast of the city of Kharkiv.
According to Biletsky, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian troops that had superiority "and won." The ratio of forces on the battlefield was 2.5:1 in Moscow's favor, the statement read.
"The success depended on detailed planning, non-standard solutions, coordinated work of artillery, air defenses, and intelligence," the commander said.
After Ukraine's reported counterattack, Russia's forces are stepping up the use of aircraft and other weapons, attempting to regain lost ground, the brigade said.
The3rd Separate Assault Brigade is known to have been operating around the village of Borova in Kharkiv Oblast, as it reported the thwarting of a Russian attempt to make a breakthrough in the area in early July.
While initially gaining ground in May, a Russian offensive in northeastern Kharkiv Oblast quickly bogged down, with Russian troops reportedly suffering heavy losses.
The intensity of fighting had decreased somewhat compared to other sectors, though several reports of Russia preparing new attacks have emerged since then.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
The Kyiv Independent
