"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
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.
A screenshot of a video showing Oscar Jenkins captured by Russian forces, published in late December 2024.
Australia will continue to petition Russia for the release of Oscar Jenkins, an Australian citizen captured while fighting on the side of Ukraine, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on April 19.
"We'll continue to make representations to the reprehensible regime of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin on behalf of Mr Jenkins," Albanese told 9News.
"We will stand up and use whatever avenues we have at our disposal to continue to make those representations. The Russian war against the people of Ukraine is a war against international law, it's against international sovereignty."
Jenkins disappeared on Dec. 16, 2024, during a combat operation near the village of Mykolaivka, in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk Oblast. At the time, he was deployed with the 402nd Separate Rifle Battalion, a unit within Ukraine’s 66th Separate Mechanized Brigade.
In the weeks that followed, unconfirmed reports began to surface, alleging that he had been executed while in Russian captivity. The claims prompted Australian officials to seek clarification from Moscow regarding his status.
Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, has said that Jenkins should be treated as a prisoner of war just like Ukrainian citizens fighting for their country, and that he should be realeased in a prisoner exchange.
"(Jenkins) has an official contract with the Ukrainian armed forces, so he must be treated as a prisoner of war, but Russia does not really care about international law," Vasyl Myroshnychenko, Ukraine's ambassador to Australia, told Nine News.
The Geneva Conventions require all parties to armed conflict to treat prisoners of war with respect and dignity. However, Russia is reported to have executed a number of POWs.
Kyiv’s repatriation efforts have predominantly centered on the return of Ukrainian soldiers, leaving foreign fighters who serve in Ukraine's military in a particularly vulnerable position should they be captured by Russian forces.
Belarusian soldier Vasyl Verameichyk, who had been fighting for Ukraine, was detained by Belarusian security services while on holiday in Vietnam. He is now reportedly being held in custody in Belarus.
Fellow Belarusian volunteers have repeatedly appealed to Ukrainian authorities to press for his release, but there has been no indication of progress.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Kate Tsurkan
