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.
A Ukrainian soldier covers his ears during the mortar fire in the direction of Pokrovsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on November 07, 2024. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
An interdepartmental commission is investigating the supply of faulty 120 mm mortar shells to Ukrainian forces after multiple reports of them misfiring, the Defense Ministry announced on Nov. 26.
The statement comes following complaints and videos shared on social media that show the mortar shells not exploding or failing to hit their targets.
The ministry said it had withdrawn the batches of ammunition in question and would instead provide Ukrainian forces with imported shells.
The Dzerkalo Tyzhnia news outlet reported in its investigation that this concerns 100,000 shells that would last for six months of front-line use, causing delays before the imported shells arrive.
Artillery and mortar shells are crucial items on the front as Ukraine already struggles to match up with the better-stocked Russian forces.
According to Dzerkalo Tyzhnia, the supply of the shells in question was a result of a deal between the Defense Ministry and the Strategic Industries Ministry to purchase ammunition from a domestic producer and thus decrease dependence on foreign supplies.
The outlet did not name the factory commissioned to manufacture the shells but said it was part of the state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom and was often targeted by Russian attacks.
The media investigation highlighted the Defense Ministry's supposedly inadequate quality control process. Warnings raised by some officials regarding the plant's ability to produce detonators for the shells "disappeared" during the process, and military officials failed to report initial problems with the shells that surfaced in September.
In its statement, the Defense Ministry stressed that the Strategic Industries Ministry was responsible for carrying out the order. Preliminary conclusions named low-quality charges and poor storage conditions as possible causes.
The State Bureau of Investigation has launched a criminal investigation, and "appropriate personnel decisions will be made regarding the responsible officials," the statement read. The ministry promised new measures to improve quality control and improve the inspection process at all stages.
Ukraine's defense sector has been plagued by several major procurement scandals throughout the full-scale war.
The two most notorious scandals, one regarding inflated prices for food supplies and the other connected to low-quality winter jackets, prompted the dismissal of former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.
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.
Dominic Culverwell
