After years of political isolation sparked by the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, U.S. and Russian officials will meet in Saudi Arabia this week to discuss how to bring an end to the war. Neither Ukraine nor Europe has been invited to the main discussion, setting off alarm bells in
The Kyiv Independent’s Chris York speaks with Kurt Volker, the former U.S. special representative for Ukraine negotiations, about the upcoming U.S.-Russia talks in Saudi Arabia and why he thinks Ukraine should not be overly concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump's first steps toward peace negotiations
U.S. Vice President JD Vance stunned those watching on Feb. 14 when his speech at the Munich Security Conference turned into a searing attack on Europe's ideals and a call to embrace far-right political parties. At an event focused almost entirely on how to end Russia's full-scale invasion of
After promising to quickly resolve the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials’ actions on Feb. 12 appeared to undermine Ukraine’s leverage in peace talks, renewing fears that his plans for a quick resolution could amount to a victory for Russia. Trump announced he
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said both agreed that "we want to stop the millions of deaths taking place in the War with Russia/Ukraine."
As Ukraine nears the fourth year of full-scale war with Russia, it is launching a major army reform aimed at improving its efficiency and organization on the battlefield. "We need the corps system," President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Feb. 3, adding: "Today we discussed approaches to the appointment of corps
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent isn’t a recipient of U.S. foreign aid, and its funding wasn’t affected by the aid freeze. With the stroke of a pen, U.S. President Donald Trump last week put a freeze on projects that have helped Ukraine become freer and
Editor's note: This story has been updated with comment from a serviceman from Ukraine's 24th Mechanized Brigade communications unit. Reports that the embattled Ukrainian city of Chasiv Yar has fallen to Russian forces have been dismissed by experts and officials speaking to the Kyiv Independent, and the latest OSINT data
According to a military intelligence source, the Lukoil oil depot in the city of Kstovo was targeted by four drones, all of which struck their target and caused "significant damage."
For those with a vested interest in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump's first week in office was a bit of a rollercoaster. His inauguration speech on Jan. 21 made no explicit mention of Ukraine or Russia's full-scale invasion, prompting some to question if either was anywhere near a priority
U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to freeze foreign development assistance for 90 days has thrown Ukrainian organizations into turmoil, in some cases threatening their very existence and leaving the people they support in limbo. These non-profit organizations provide a huge range of humanitarian services, including counseling, organizing cultural events,
U.S. President Donald Trump needs to "understand where the threat is" and not "force Ukraine into a bad deal," U.K. lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith told the Kyiv Independent. In an interview in Kyiv alongside another U.K. lawmaker Layla Moran on Jan. 22, Duncan Smith urged Trump not
Russian military bloggers, known as milbloggers, have responded in defiant terms to Donald Trump’s ultimatum to his Russian counterpart, describing it as "blackmail" from a U.S. president acting more like a "king of the playground." On Jan. 22, Trump called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to "make a
Donald Trump was sworn in as U.S. president on Jan. 20, giving a speech containing a bombastic series of announcements and executive orders, not to mention the declaration of two national emergencies. Setting out the goals of his second term, with billionaires Elon Musk, Amazon's Jeff Bezos, and Meta's
As state secretary, Marco Rubio will oversee the implementation of the president's foreign policy, including that relating to Russia's full-scale war — which wasn't directly referred to during Donald Trump's inauguration speech.
In his farewell speech from the White House on Jan.15, outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden took the opportunity to highlight his achievements in office in an attempt to help cement his legacy. Yet, despite being one of the world's biggest international crises that spanned much of Biden's term
There is no clear consensus among Ukrainians about what a potential peace agreement with Russia should look like, a new global poll published on Jan. 15 has found. The poll, conducted by the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR), presented respondents with four options relating to NATO/EU membership, security
Located in Saratov Oblast, over 750 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, Engels airbase is home to Russian heavy bombers.
Ukrainian forces fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast captured two North Korean soldiers, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Jan. 11, "irrefutable evidence" of Pyongyang's involvement in Moscow's full-scale invasion. "This task was not easy," Zelensky said, claiming that North Korean military personnel usually "finish off their wounded" in order to hide
Ukrainian forces struck a Russian army command post in Svitlodarsk in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Jan. 10.
Russian losses in Ukraine are helping fuel a demographic timebomb that could see the country’s population reduced by half by the end of the century, experts have told the Kyiv Independent. “The impact on Russian society is devastating,” said Harley Balzer, emeritus professor of government and international affairs at
Video released by HUR shows a large explosion followed by what appears to be the detonation of a cluster munition.
LATEST: Russia detains two suspects over assassination of General Igor Kirillov, Kremlin media reports Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov met his demise in Moscow on Dec. 17, reportedly killed by a bomb attached to a scooter planted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). "Kirillov was a war criminal and a
In a post on the official Facebook page of the Syrian presidency, Assad said he was releasing the statement to address "misinformation and narratives far removed from the truth" in the wake of his overthrow.
For the third month in a row, the number of Shahed-type kamikaze drones launched by Russia at Ukraine surged to record levels. According to figures from Ukraine's Air Force, Moscow deployed a total of 2,576 drones during November, up from 2,023 the month before. And the Kremlin clearly
The shock capture of Aleppo by Syrian forces opposed to Bashar al-Assad in recent days has dealt a humiliating blow to the regime and its backers, Russia and Iran, analysts have told the Kyiv Independent. The surprise offensive has also indirectly helped Ukraine, analysts say. "This is really quite the
This surpasses the previous record of 1,950 set on Nov. 12. The total figure stands at 738,660.
"It is my belief that Trump has made considerable contributions to world peace, and that he can make more in the future," Merezhko, an MP from Zelensky's Servant of the People party and chairman of the Ukrainian parliament's foreign affairs committee, wrote in his letter.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Nov. 21 announced his country had launched a new type of missile in an attack on Ukraine, a demonstration of military might meant to deter Kyiv's allies from further support against his full-scale invasion. "There are currently no ways of countering this weapon. The missiles
Lawmakers were planning to hold an hour-long Q&A session at the Verkhovna Rada, the official added.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised address that the attack was a test of Russia's "newest missile," an IRBM called "Oreshnik."
Ukrainians woke up on Nov. 20 to a message that a number of foreign embassies were closing their Kyiv offices — a stark reminder of the departure of foreign diplomats from Kyiv days before the start of the all-out war. The U.S. Embassy in the capital said it had received
