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"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."

This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.

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USAID chief Samantha Power arrives in Ukraine

2 min read

Samantha Power, the head of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), arrived in Ukraine, as she informed on social media on July 17.

"It's good to be back in Ukraine. Even as the Ukrainian people fight back against Putin's brutality, they are looking to the future – they're innovating, transforming and rebuilding. Follow along the next few days to see how the U.S. is partnering with them to build for the future," Power tweeted.

The USAID chief will meet Ukraine's government officials to discuss the ongoing partnership with Ukraine, the agency said on its website.

Power is also expected to meet Ukrainian farmers, private sector leaders, members of civil society, energy workers, youth, emergency response teams, and mental health professionals.

"The Administrator (Samantha Power) will also visit USAID partners who deliver vital assistance to those suffering as a result of Russia's aggression, including key examples of USAID's ongoing development work that supports infrastructure and institutions that are critical to Ukraine's future," the agency said.

A former U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Power has been appointed as the head of the USAID by the Biden administration on May 3, 2021.

The USAID signed a cooperation agreement with Ukraine in 1992 to help the country's economic, political, and societal development. The agency said it provided Ukraine with $9.88 billion in development and humanitarian assistance since the start of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.

This Week in Ukraine Ep. 16 – Why is Ukraine still not in NATO?
Episode #16 of our weekly video podcast “This Week in Ukraine” is dedicated to Ukrainian culture, the important role it plays in war, and why it has been a target of Russian dictators for decades. Host Anastasiia Lapatina is joined by the Kyiv Independent’s culture reporter Oleksiy Sorokin. Listen…
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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

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.

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