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.
In this handout photo released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, U.S. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) is being fired into the East Sea during a South Korea-U.S. joint missile drill on July 29, 2017, in East Coast, South Korea. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)
The U.S. is reluctant to allow Ukraine to use its long-range weapons inside Kursk "not because of the risk of escalation, but because the US only has a limited supply," CNN reported on Aug. 16, citing multiple unnamed U.S. officials.
U.S. Defense Department Deputy Press Secretary Sabrina Singh told the press on Aug. 8 that Ukraine's operation is "consistent with our policy" as Kyiv is defending "against attacks that are coming across the border."
Responding to a question on how far into Russian territory Ukraine is allowed to strike, Singh said that the U.S. does "not support long-range attacks," but refused to specify the exact distance.
"I'm not going to draw a circular map on where they can and can't strike, but we've been very clear with the Ukrainians," she said.
The U.S. remains reluctant to greenlight the use of U.S.-supplied long-range weapons in Kursk Oblast, as they "would be better used to continue targeting Russian-occupied Crimea," CNN said.
However, this is due to the "limited supply" of Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS), rather than long-standing fears of escalating the war, CNN said, citing multiple officials.
According to CNN, the U.S. and Western officials familiar with the latest intelligence "cautioned that Ukraine is extremely unlikely to be able to hold" Russian territory.
The officials also "emphasized that it's too soon to judge how the operation will affect the broader outcome of the war."
Kateryna Hodunova
