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.
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.
"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.
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
A woman (L) and her daughter (R) tearfully comfort each other at the grave of their husband and father, who died during the battle for the city of Mariupol in April, 2022, as Ukrainians mourn soldiers killed in Russia's war against Ukraine at a military cemetery in Dnipro, Ukraine, on April 21, 2023. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
Ukraine's population may decrease to 15.3 million people by 2100, according to the United Nations Secretariat's revision of world population projections for 2024.
The population of Ukraine amounted to 37.441 million people by Jan. 1, 2024, while in 2026, it will rise to 39.7 million and then will begin to decline every year, according to the UN.
Oleksandr Hladun, deputy director of Ukraine's Demography Institute, called the UN's forecast "pessimistic."
"It was probably developed with the war in mind and the absence of any demographic policy measures," Hladun told Ukrainska Pravda in an interview published on July 15.
"I would not advise taking the UN's demographic forecast as a real verdict on Ukraine," he added.
Hladun said that there are several categories of demographic forecasts: optimistic, realistic, and pessimistic. Each has its own parameters regarding births, deaths, and migration.
The expert also mentioned that forecasts are divided by duration: short-term (2-5 years, the most accurate), medium-term (10-15 years), and long-term (over 50 years). The accuracy decreases with the increase in time.
"Long-term forecasts should be viewed as a warning of what developments may lead to with certain parameters of births, deaths, and migration," he said.
Ukraine's population could decline to about 30 million by 2037, according to a mid-2023 forecast by the Demography Institute.
"In my opinion, the most pessimistic forecast for Ukraine in the long term is a reduction to 25 million citizens. But even if the population starts to decline rapidly, it will be replaced by people who will migrate from other countries," Hladun said.
Over 14 million people, nearly a third of Ukraine's population, have been forced to flee their homes in the two years since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported on Feb. 22.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, 4.5 million people have returned to Ukraine, the IOM said.
Another 3.7 million people are internally displaced within Ukraine, while nearly 6.5 million are refugees abroad, according to IOM data.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
