Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 8, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of April, 2,857 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
Cargo vessel at the southern entrance to the Bosporus Strait leading to the Black Sea in Istanbul, Turkey, on Nov. 2, 2022. (Nicole Tung/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukraine’s temporary corridor through the Black Sea has managed to transport nearly 700,000 metric tons of grain, Minister of Agrarian Policy Mykola Solskyi announced during a meeting of the EU Council in Luxembourg, UkrAgroConsult reported on Oct. 24.
The temporary corridor was opened in August and has since seen 38 ships enter Ukraine’s ports and over 30 leave. Most of the ships are transporting grain to Europe and Africa.
“It works thanks to the support of our armed forces and the trust of international partners. Every day the number of ships calling at the ports is increasing,” Solskyi said.
The corridor does not go directly towards the Bosphorus Strait in a straight line as it did under the Black Sea Grain Initiative, but vessels hug the coastlines of Ukraine and NATO members Romania and Bulgaria for added security.
Unlike the grain initiative, which ended in July after Russia pulled out of the agreement, vessels are exporting metal products from Ukraine as well.
Ukraine’s recent successful attacks on Russia’s Black Sea fleet have forced the Russian Navy to retreat, attracting more shipowners to take the risk and travel the Ukrainian corridor.
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Nevertheless, Solskyi noted that the majority of products are exported via the Danube River via Romania.
Last month, 2.3 million metric tons of agricultural products were exported via the Danube Ports, a decrease of 100,000 tons compared to August.
Overall, 3.6 million metric tons of agricultural products were exported in September, including via road and rail routes. Solksyi stressed that at least 6 million metric tons need to be exported per month.
“This volume of transportation can only be ensured by restoring the full operation of the deep-water ports of Greater Odesa,” the minister said.
Solskyi noted that the number of ships leaving Ukrainian ports is increasing, a trend he hopes will continue.
Ukraine will harvest 79.1 million tons of grain and oilseed this year and hopes to export 50 million tons in the 2023/2024 marketing season, the Agrarian Policy and Food Ministry predicts.
Dominic is the business reporter for the Kyiv Independent. He has written for a number of publications including the Financial Times, bne IntelliNews, Radio Free Europe/Liberty, Euronews and New Eastern Europe. Previously, Dominic worked with StopFake as a disinformation expert, debunking Russian fake news in Europe.
Dominic Culverwell
