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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky talks to G7 leaders during an Oct. 11 extraordinary G7 summit led by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (President's Office)
Ukraine does not plan military actions against Belarus, President Volodymyr Zelensky said during an extraordinary G7 summit led by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
"To completely remove this provocation, to remove these narratives by (Belarus dictator Alexander) Lukashenko, to remove even the assumption of any alleged threat from us, we offer our solution," said Zelensky.
"A mission of international observers may be stationed on the border of Ukraine and Belarus to monitor the security situation," Zelensky said during a conference gathered as a response to Russia's widespread bombardment of Ukraine on Oct. 10.
Zelensky said that Ukrainian authorities have a "peace formula" that includes an air shield, territorial integrity protection, punishment of Russia, and a "Kyiv Security Compact project," which the president didn't describe in detail.
"Russia must be completely isolated and punished. Punished both politically and in terms of sanctions," Zelensky added.
Russia lashed out on Oct. 10, striking many Ukrainian cities with 84 missiles and 24 exploding drones.
The places they hit were all civilian — multiple power plants and a children's playground in the center of Kyiv. Most strikes seemed to be timed to the Monday morning rush hour as if trying to kill as many commuters as possible.
"The invaders can't stand against us on the battlefield and thus resort to this terror," President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on the evening after the bombardment.
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