Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"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.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius, stands next to Ukraine's Ambassador Oleksii Makeiev, and Ralf Ketzel, head of the German tank manufacturer KNDS, at the handover of the first RCH 155 wheeled howitzer in Kassel, Germany, on Jan. 13, 2025. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Germany delivered the first batch of the promised 54 RCH 155 self-propelled howitzers, the country's Foreign Minister Boris Pistorius said during a news conference on Jan. 13.
Six out of the 54 howitzers will remain in Germany to train Ukrainian personnel.
"Ukraine can count on us, and this (the delivery) is a signal. And Germany is ready to take responsibility in Europe," Pistorius was quoted as saying in the German city of Kassel, where the howitzers are manufactured.
Ukraine's Ambassador to Germany, Oleksii Makeiev, symbolically accepted the first batch on site. Ukraine had requested the RCH 155 in July 2022.
The RCH-155 self-propelled howitzer is a new combination of a GTK Boxer APC (armored personnel carrier) with an automated artillery turret of the PzH 2000.
It fires 155 mm shells to a distance of up to 54 kilometers. It can move quickly on or off-road at speeds of over 100 kilometers per hour due to the wheeled base similar to a heavy-duty armored vehicle.
Ukraine is the first country to receive the new RCH 155.
Boldizsar is a former Reuters correspondent for Hungary, currently based in Kharkiv, reporting for the Kyiv Independent and various other outlets. He holds degrees in political science, philosophy, and development policy.
