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."
A plane of Belavia Belarusian Airlines is preparing to land at Frankfurt Airport, Germany, May 26, 2021. (Photo credit: Andreas Arnold/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The U.S. Treasury Department announced new sanctions against Belarus on Aug. 9, targeting eight individuals and five entities, including the country's state airlines.
The announcement comes at the three-year anniversary of the fraudulent 2020 Belarusian election, in which dictator Alexander Lukashenko solidified his grip over the country through the falsification of votes and mass repressions.
The latest sanctions package is aimed at those entities or individuals involved in the regime's oppression of its population, those that are complicit in Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, or those helping Lukashenko's personal enrichment.
Among the targeted companies are three state-owned enterprises, including the country's flag carrier Belavia Belarusian Airlines, Byelorussian Steel Works Management Company (BSW), one of the largest state-owned companies in the country manufacturing steel products, and Minsk Civil Aviation Plant 407, which produces aircraft components.
Dmitriy Korchik, the general director of the BSW, has also been added to the sanctions list. The Treasury Department extended sanctions against BEL-KAP-STEEL LLC, a small Florida-based firm in a joint venture with BSW.
The sanctions further include the three members of the Aleksin family, who run businesses in the country's tobacco and transportation sectors. Alexey Aleksin is also a close confidant of Lukashenko, providing funds to the dictator and his inner circle, the Treasury Department said.
The U.S. also sanctioned the Department of Financial Investigations, an investigative arm of Belarus's Financial Intelligence Unit, for its role in the crackdown against the media in the country. Four of the government agency's officials have been also included on the sanctions list.
The EU imposed new sanctions against Belarus less than a week ago, extending the ban on exports of highly sensitive goods and technologies contributing to Belarus' military and technological enhancement.
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.
Maria Yeryoma
