"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) meets Indonesia's President-Elect Prabowo Subianto (L) on the sidelines of the annual Asian Security Summit, Shangri-La Dialogue, in Singapore on June 1, 2024. (President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky told Indonesia's President-elect Prabowo Subianto on June 1 that Kyiv is interested in developing relations with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and is seeking formal partner status with the union.
Zelensky met with Subianto in Singapore, where he had arrived earlier in the day for the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference and held meetings with high-ranking foreign officials.
Security assistance for Ukraine is one of the key issues discussed at this year's conference, which is organized annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an independent think tank.
“We look forward to Indonesia's support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky’s office said the two discussed Ukraine's peace formula, introduced at the G20 Summit in Indonesia in 2022. The Ukrainian president said he hopes for Indonesia's participation in the global peace summit at the highest level.
The summit will be held on June 15 and 16 in Switzerland, with some 100 nations and organizations confirming their attendance. Russia was not invited to join the conference, and China has also signaled it would not attend.
Zelensky also said that despite Russia's attempts to obstruct civilian navigation in the Black Sea, Ukraine is ready to increase agricultural exports to Indonesia.
The ASEAN trading bloc is one of the largest and most active economic regions in the world. The 10-member regional block is regarded as the third-largest economy in Asia and the fifth-largest in the world.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
Timothy Ash
