"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and President Volodymyr Zelensky walk during Biden's surprise visit in Kyiv on Feb. 20, 2023. (President's Office)
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Feb. 20 that "(Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s war of conquest is failing."
“Putin thought Ukraine was weak and the West was divided,” Biden said, standing alongside President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv's Mariinskyi Palace.
“He thought he could outlast us. I don’t think he’s thinking that right now,” he added. “He’s just been plain wrong,” Biden said of Putin.
“One year later, the evidence is right here in this room. We stand here together,” Biden said.
Biden made an unannounced visit to Kyiv on Feb. 20, his first-ever visit to Ukraine as president. In Kyiv, Biden is meeting with Zelensky.
"The results of this visit will surely be seen, and will surely have repercussions on the battlefield in liberating our territories,” Zelensky said.
Biden pledged an extra $500 million in aid to the country. The assistance package will consist of more military equipment, such as javelins, howitzers, and artillery ammunition.
U.S. President Joe Biden (L) and President Volodymyr Zelensky shake hands during Biden's surprise visit in Kyiv on Feb. 20, 2023. (President's Office)
Biden praised the strength of Ukrainian resistance to the country during his visit to the presidential palace in Kyiv.
"One year later, Kyiv stands. And Ukraine stands. Democracy stands," Biden said.
Biden is visiting Kyiv on the day Ukraine marks the anniversary of the culmination of the EuroMaidan Revolution, a series of anti-government protests in 2013-2014 that ousted a corrupt pro-Russian president Viktor Yanukovych. Over 100 protesters were killed, many of them in a single day, on Feb. 20, 2014.
They are known in Ukraine as the Heavenly Hundred.
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.
