Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"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."
Director of U.S. National Intelligence Avril Haines speaks during a hearing with the Senate Armed Services Committee on May 4, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin's "paranoid fear" of the West seeking to limit Russia's power has led him to spend historically record amounts on militarization, Director of U.S. National Intelligence Avril Haines said on May 2, according to Voice of America.
The Kremlin has increased defense spending to nearly 7% of Russia's GDP, almost double the historical average. Russia's defense budget accounts for roughly 25% of all federal spending as of now, considering the U.S. National Intelligence calculations.
"Putin continues to believe that Russia is under threat and almost certainly assumes that a larger, better-equipped military will convey that opinion to Western and domestic audiences," Haines said during the hearing in Congress.
The Russian president continues to perceive NATO's expansion and Western assistance for Ukraine as "the U.S. and Europe trying to limit Russia's power," according to Haines.
Putin is assured that the current domestic and international events are benefiting him, while he is trying to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas to divide the Western allies as well, the U.S. National Intelligence chief added.
Haines also assumed that Moscow is likely to continue its "increasingly aggressive tactics" against Ukraine, including attacks on energy infrastructure, and the all-out war is unlikely to end "anytime soon."
Moscow attacked Ukraine with over 3,2000 guided aerial bombs, nearly 300 Shahed-type drones, and over 300 missiles in April alone, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Rachel Amran
