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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky during a news conference with Germany's chancellor Olaf Scholz at the Chancellery in Berlin, Germany, on Oct. 11, 2024. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Nov. 19 that Ukraine plans to increase the production of long-range drones and missiles as part of the country's resilience plan.
In a speech to the parliament, Zelensky said that the drones would help compensate for the army’s lack of artillery. Ukraine aims to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones next year, and a new technology center will be established.
The president also set the task of producing 3,000 cruise missiles and drone-missile hybrids and finding an effective countermeasure to Russian Shahed-type drones.
The statement follows an earlier announcement on Oct. 21, when Zelensky revealed that the U.S. is preparing to allocate an aid package worth $700-800 million to support Ukraine’s domestic production of long-range capabilities.
In addition to drones, Ukraine is advancing its missile development. Zelensky previously said that the country successfully tested its first domestically made ballistic missile.
Zelensky has also revealed that Ukraine had developed another domestic-made weapon, a missile-drone Palianytsia. He said it has already been used against Russia. The first successful use of the Palianytsia missile was confirmed by Zelensky during his Independence Day speech on Aug. 24.
Ukraine has been developing its own long-range capabilities in lieu of Western long-range arms, the use of which has been restricted by Kyiv's international partners. Only last week did Washington allow the use of ATACMS missiles on Russian soil, marking a significant policy shift.
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Martin Fornusek
