The U.S. is planning new sanctions on Russia’s energy sector to ramp up pressure on Moscow if President Vladimir Putin rejects a peace deal with Ukraine, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the situation.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Russian negotiations position "has not changed yet," and that "they want our Donbas. And we do not want to give away our Donbas." Zelensky's comments to journalists late on Dec. 15 came following yet another round of discussions with the American negotiators, who continue to insist on the Russia-leaning peace offer. A delegation led by Zelensky held two rounds of discussions with U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner on a plan for ending the Rus

A Kyiv court placed Anti-Corruption Bureau's detective Viktor Husarov on house arrest on Dec. 9, freeing him from custody five months after his arrest. The detective is charged with treason for allegedly passing state secrets to an associate who is said to be working with Russia. Husarov, and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) Head Semen Kryvonos have alleged that the detective was deliberately held in custody to pressure the anti-corruption bureau and hinder its work. Both denied that

The U.S. bipartisan Senate delegation attending the Halifax International Security Forum had received a phone call from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In it, Rubio was quite frank. According to Republican Senator Mike Rounds, Rubio told senators that the 28-point peace plan drawn up by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and his Russian counterpart, Kirill Dmitriev, was actually a Russian plan that the U.S. had agreed to pass along to Ukraine. "Secretary Rubio made a phone call to us this afternoon.

The Kyiv Independent’s Oleksiy Sorokin sits down with Daria Kaleniuk, executive director of Ukraine’s Anti-Corruption Action Center, to discuss Ukraine’s biggest wartime corruption scandal, which involves people from President Volodymyr Zelensky's circle and several government officials.

Editor's note: Andriy Yermak submitted his resignation following searches by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) at his premises, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Nov. 28. President Volodymyr Zelensky's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, has consolidated an unprecedented level of power within Ukraine's government — wielding influence across parliament, the Cabinet, and key state institutions. Despite his dominance, however, Yermak has remained a controversial figure, often viewed w

The two are implicated in the $100 million corruption scandal centered on the state-owned nuclear power company Energoatom, which has rocked the country since Monday.

Gathering journalists in a picturesque coworking space in downtown Kyiv, Deputy Prime Minister Taras Kachka had two things to talk about — Ukraine's EU accession roadblocked by Hungary, and the Russian frozen assets that Kyiv hopes will cover its staggering budgetary deficit. Results in both remain up in the air. "I'm more than confident there won't be a hole in the 2026-2027 budget," said Kachka, who leads Ukraine's Euro-Atlantic integration, referring to the macro-financial problems Ukraine

Here is how the U.S.–Ukraine meeting derailed after Trump’s private conversation with Putin, raising concerns about where Washington now stands.

Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans feels that Europe must do more to counter Russia's threat — and he has a few ideas how to do it. "(Vladimir Putin) knows he is creating unrest, that's positive for him, there is no disadvantage nor drawback for him," Brekelmans said, responding to a question on the recent Russian drone incursions into NATO territory. "So I suggested, for example, just as an idea, let's make sure that for every drone incursion, every Russian drone that's entering NATO air

Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the country's top anti-corruption agency are entangled in an escalating confrontation involving raids and arrests. The conflict is seen as part of a broader struggle between the President's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), which says the authorities are trying to eliminate its independence. The SBU, which is seen as loyal to the President's Office, has arrested NABU employees, accusing them of having ties to Russia, and portrayed the c

The Kyiv Independent’s deputy chief editor, Oleksiy Sorokin, sits down with British historian Niall Ferguson on the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference to discuss the geopolitical realities shaping Russia’s war against Ukraine.

The Kyiv Independent’s Oleksiy Sorokin sits down with Andrius Kubilius, the European Commissioner for Defense Industry and Space, to discuss Europe’s readiness to confront Russia, including its ReArm program, and the future of European security.

Russia has faced little to no consequences following its brazen Sept. 10 attack on Poland, yet Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski is upbeat about NATO's response and how things have played out since. "I think Russia lost this confrontation," Sikorski told the Kyiv Independent in an interview on the sidelines of the Yalta European Strategy (YES) conference held in Kyiv on Sept 12-13. Poland downed only four out of 19 drones that entered its airspace, with one of the drones falling nearly

"A large number of Russian drones entered Polish airspace — this is an empirical fact that does not require belief," Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said.