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.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
Kateryna Zelenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Singapore, speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview on the sidelines of the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022.(Ore Huiying/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Kyiv would consider participating in a Beijing-led peace conference with Russia's presence if the talks are based on the principles of the "U.N. Charter and international law," Ukraine's Ambassador to Singapore Kateryna Zelenko said in a media interview published on June 20.
Speaking to the South China Morning Post, Zelenko said that Ukraine "does not and has never seen China as its opponent" and wants to see it as "its friend."
Switzerland hosted Ukraine's global peace summit last week, but China was not among the more than 90 countries who accepted the invitation. Russia was not invited to attend.
Beijing decried Russia's absence and instead pitched an alternative peace process together with Brazil, suggesting hosting a summit recognized both by Kyiv and Moscow. China has claimed it has managed to rally a considerable international support behind its plan.
At the same time, Ukraine and Switzerland said they intend to continue their peace process and host a second summit, at which a Russian representative will be presented with a joint peace plan based on Kyiv's 10-point formula and proposals by other countries.
Despite the limited success in engaging the Global South, Zelenko said that the event was "a (diplomatic) success," adding that the "fact that the summit took place is a milestone in the entire peaceful process."
"All continents were represented from 100 delegations (of countries and organizations), this is a clear number of states sending a clear signal to Moscow that the world does not tolerate Russia's violation of international law."
Kyiv sought to engage China in the peace efforts despite Beijing's close ties with Moscow throughout the full-scale war. While declaring itself neutral and insisting it does not provide lethal aid to either side, China has been the leading source of dual-use goods fueling the Russian defense industry.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Nate Ostiller
