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."
John Kirby, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson, speaks during a news conference in Washington, D.C., on March 21, 2023. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
U.S. officials are reaching out to their Ukrainian counterparts "to get a little better understanding" of the situation in Russia's Kursk region, where clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces are currently taking place, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters on Aug. 7.
Ukrainian forces crossed the border into the Kursk region on Aug. 6, resulting in clashes on Russian soil that have continued into the following day, Russian officials say.
Russian President Vladimir Putin described the incursion as a "large-scale provocation," while Russian Army Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov claimed on Aug. 7 that Ukraine's "advance in the Kursk direction was halted." Kyiv has not commented on the fighting in the area.
At a press conference on Aug. 7, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said it was "a bit rich for (Russia) to call it a provocation" in light of the more than 10 years that Russia has violated Ukraine's territorial sovereignty.
"I'll let the Ukrainians speak to their operations one way or the other. That’s most appropriate," Kirby said.
Miller acknowledged that the U.S. did not know about the incursion before it happened but said "it's not unusual for the Ukrainians not to notify us of their exact tactics before they execute them, it's a war that they are conducting."
Washington hasn't changed its policy of allowing Ukraine to use American-supplied weapons "to target imminent threats just across the border," Kirby said. Separately, Miller said that the incursion had not violated U.S. policy.
When Russia launched its intensified offensive against Kharkiv Oblast in May, a number of countries said they had lifted restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons against military targets inside Russia.
The U.S. granted Kyiv limited permission to use certain American weapons to strike Russian targets near the region's border.
The Kursk region lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.
Over the past day, Moscow's troops have increased aviation activity near the border areas of Sumy Oblast, dropping about 30 guided aerial bombs on the settlements, Ukraine's General Staff said in its latest update. The local authorities ordered a further mandatory evacuation of border settlements.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Francis Farrell
