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.
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.
Portuguese Air Force F-16 fighter jets during NATO's Baltic Air Policing Mission in Lithuanian airspace near Siauliai on May 23, 2023. (AFP via Getty Images)
In an address to heads of Ukrainian diplomatic missions on Aug. 2, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that F-16 training for Ukrainian pilots is to begin this month.
"The delivery and combat use of F-16s by our pilots should take place as soon as possible," stated Zelensky.
At the Vilnius NATO summit in July, Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov signed a memorandum with 11 countries outlining the F-16 training terms for Ukrainian pilots.
Zelensky's announcement corresponds with the information that officials told Reuters during the summit. They said that the program will start in Denmark in August and a training hub will be set up in Romania.
However, U.S. officials believe the exact plans of the training remain unclear and are still waiting on European leaders to submit a definitive training plan, CNN reported on Aug. 1.
The start of the program is contingent upon receiving authorization from the U.S.
The transfer of F-16 equipment and materials, including flight simulators and training manuals, also requires U.S. government authorization.
Ukraine has received Soviet-era MiG-29 fighter jets from Poland and Slovakia but has long been pushing for the more advanced American-made aircraft.
On July 21, U.S. National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby said that Ukraine will receive F-16 fighter jets before the end of the year, after President Joe Biden gave a "green light" to allow European countries to launch the training program earlier that month.
The timeline for the Ukrainian training program accelerates the standard U.S. Air Force pilot training by omitting certain missions and tasks, such as air-to-air refueling and instrument landing procedures, that are not essential for Ukrainian pilots on the battlefield.
The Ukrainian Defense Ministry has previously said it requires at least four squadrons of F-16s – 48 planes in total - to liberate territory from Russia.
Asami Terajima
