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.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, 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.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. A Gazprom Neft filling station is seen in Moscow. (Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Austrian integrated oil and gas company OMV announced on Nov. 13 that it had secured an arbitral award from the International Chamber of Commerce exceeding $243 million (230 million euros).
This ruling relates to irregularities in German gas supplies provided by Gazprom. OMV noted that the award, which includes interest and costs, will help offset the financial losses it suffered in 2022.
The company anticipates that its contract with Gazprom Export, a subsidiary of the Russian energy giant, could worsen, potentially resulting in a halt to gas supply. To mitigate the impact, OMV confirmed plans to offset claims against invoices under its Austrian gas supply contract with Gazprom Export.
OMV estimates that the potentially affected gas volume for Austria's Virtual Trading Point could reach up to 7,400 megawatt-hours. Despite the possible disruption, the company assured customers that it would deliver the full contracted gas volumes. "We have been preparing for a possible supply disruption for a long time. In any case, our country's gas supply is secure. Our gas storage facilities are full," Austrian Energy Minister Leonore Gewessler said on X.
In May, OMV cautioned that Gazprom's gas supplies might face suspension due to a court ruling, although it did not specify the case. Back in April, Gazprom had taken steps to block OMV from pursuing international arbitration by appealing to a Russian court.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Kateryna Hodunova
