"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.
According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, speaks to a media member on the sidelines of the U.S.-Russia meeting at Riyadh's Diriyah Palace on February 18, 2025. (Evelyn Hockstein / POOL / AFP)
Washington and Moscow have begun discussions on projects related to Russian rare earth minerals, said Kirill Dmitriev, head of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, in an interview with the Russian newspaper Izvestia published on March 31.
The news comes as the Trump administration pushes for a swift ceasefire in Ukraine and explores venues for economic cooperation with Russia.
"Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and, of course, we have begun discussions about various rare earth metals and projects in Russia," said Dmitriev, who also serves as presidential representative for economic cooperation with foreign countries.
Some companies have already demonstrated interest in the projects, the official claimed.
Dmitriev was one of Russia's negotiators during the Trump administration's first direct talks in Saudi Arabia in February.
The Feb. 18 talks were followed by two more rounds of discussions, with a meeting on March 24 focusing on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine. Dmitriev said that the next round would take place in mid-April and concern both political issues and economic cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in February that Russia is open to working with the U.S. in developing rare earth deposits, including in the occupied parts of Ukraine, which Putin called "newly controlled regions."
U.S. President Donald Trump has also pushed for a deal on natural resources with Ukraine, though multiple sources indicated that its latest iteration imposes harsh conditions on Kyiv and would potentially endanger its EU accession efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on March 30 that Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky is looking to back out of a critical minerals agreement, warning him of "big, big problems" if he does so.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
