The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
European foreign ministers approved the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine during a meeting in Lviv on May 9. The tribunal, which will operate under the auspices of the Council of Europe, aims to prosecute Russia's top political and military leadership, including President Vladimir Putin. Ukraine expects the tribunal to start work in 2026. The Kyiv Independent’s Kateryna Hodunova spoke with Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel about the future tribunal and its role in bringing justice for Ukraine.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
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.
Giorgia Meloni, Italy's prime minister, greets Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, on the opening day of the Group of Seven (G7) leaders summit at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Savelletri, Italy, on June 13, 2024. (Francesca Volpi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky arrived at the Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy on June 13 and was welcomed by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The summit is expected to address the group's further support for Kyiv as it continues to face Russian aggression.
Zelensky's visit, coming shortly after the trip to Berlin for the Ukraine Recovery Conference and ahead of the Switzerland peace summit, will include bilateral talks with world leaders, namely U.S. President Joe Biden.
Zelensky said earlier today that he would sign bilateral security agreements with the U.S. and Japan during the summit.
A key point on the agenda of the meeting of the world's wealthiest democracies is the use of frozen Russian assets for the benefit of Ukraine.
After months of back-and-forth discussions between Washington and Europe, G7 leaders appear to have reached an agreement on Russian funds.
The French presidency reportedly said on June 12 that the bloc has agreed to provide Ukraine with $50 billion by the end of the year using profits from frozen Russian assets.
The fund will reportedly be created under an international organization such as the World Bank, with contributions in the form of "Extraordinary Revenue Acceleration" (ERA) loans.
While Western countries have frozen $300 billion in Russian assets, they can only access the income generated by these funds, approximately $3.2 billion, annually.
By setting up a fund with loans to be repaid using this income, countries can offer immediate support to Ukraine beyond this amount.
Chris York
