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.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky attend the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 12, 2023. (Photo by ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Oct. 21 to express his gratitude for Turkey's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The two presidents discussed the next round of discussions on the peace formula proposed by Zelensky, which will take place in Malta at the end of October. Zelensky said Turkey will participate in the talks.
Zelensky presented the 10-point peace formula, supported by many Western allies, in November last year.
It includes the restoration of Ukraine's territorial integrity, the complete withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine, and the release of all prisoners of war and deportees.
The proposals also call for punishing those responsible for war crimes, preventing ecocide in Ukraine, and ensuring energy and food security as well as nuclear safety.
According to Zelensky, he and Erdogan also discussed food security amid Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
"Despite Russia's disruption of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine remains committed to its vital role as a guarantor of global food security and ensures the operation of the Black Sea Grain Corridor," Zelensky said.
The corridor was set up weeks after Russia's withdrawal from the grain deal.
The Russian military has blocked trade routes through the Black Sea since the collapse of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July.
The UN repeatedly appealed to Moscow to unblock the shipments of Ukrainian foodstuffs to curb rising prices worldwide.
Despite the Russian-imposed blockade, all three of Ukraine's Black Sea ports in and around Odesa have resumed receiving cargo vessels for grain export earlier this month.
Russian forces may use sea mines to strike civilian shipping targets in the Black Sea, a United Kingdom intelligence report published Oct. 4 said.
According to U.K. intelligence, Russia intends to blame Ukraine for any successful attacks.
"Russia almost certainly wants to avoid openly sinking civilian ships, instead falsely laying blame on Ukraine for any attacks against civilian vessels in the Black Sea," the report said.
Russia's aggression in the Black Sea poses a major risk to global food security. According to the U.K. intelligence report, Russia has "already destroyed enough grain to feed more than one million people for a year."
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
