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.
Workers dismantle an autotransformer that stands completely destroyed after the Ukrenergo high voltage power substation was directly hit by a missile strike on Oct. 17, 2022, as Russia launched air attacks across Ukraine, on Nov. 10, 2022, in central Ukraine. (Ed Ram/Getty Images)
Ukraine will either manufacture or purchase 100 new high-voltage transformers as the country prepares for a repeat of last winter's Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, according to a report by The Economist on Oct. 2.
Due to previous strikes on Ukrainian factories, many of the transformers will need to be purchased from abroad. In order to protect them from Russian attempts to destroy them in the future, the foreign-made transformers will be stored in Poland or Romania until they are needed.
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that Ukraine has gained considerable experience in dealing with large-scale attacks and their consequences, and engineers have developed innovative plans to protect critical infrastructure and keep power on.
However, he also cautioned that Russia may have learned from last winter's failure to fully knock out the electrical system, and may change their tactics.
Russia began attacks on critical energy infrastructure in Oct. 2022, causing widespread damage and massive disruptions to the power grid. According to The Economist, "the average Ukrainian home was without electricity for an average of five weeks" between October and December.
Russia already has begun to strike at Ukraine's critical structure this year, and Ukraine has put considerable effort into preparing for the inevitable escalation of strikes this coming winter.
Alexander Query
