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.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson makes his way to a House Republican caucus meeting at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 6, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden will meet with Congressional leadership, including House Speaker Mike Johnson, at the White House on Feb. 27 to discuss a funding bill for Ukraine’s security needs, Bloomberg reported on Feb. 25.
Earlier this month, the U.S. Senate passed a $95 billion security package that included $60 billion in aid for Ukraine. The bill now faces an uphill battle in the Republican-led House of Representatives. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to put it to a vote in the House, instead declaring recess until the end of February.
The White House released a weekly schedule late Sunday night which included a Feb. 27 meeting with Congressional leadership. According to Bloomberg, President Biden and members of Congress "will discuss the urgency of passing the bipartisan national security supplemental and keeping the government open.”
Johnson's office later confirmed to Bloomberg that he will be attending the meeting with President Biden. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries will also be attending the meeting.
Previous reports have suggested that Speaker Johnson had wanted an in-person, one-on-one meeting with Biden before he took any action on the funding bill.
Johnson reportedly requested personal meetings with Biden several times in recent weeks, which Republican House Majority Leader Steve Scalise claimed the president has "refused."
Delays in U.S. aid have already had an impact on the ground in Ukraine. The loss of Avdiivka, a Donetsk Oblast city that has faced Russian attacks since 2014, was linked to shortages in artillery shells and other supplies provided by the West.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
John Roberts
