According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
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.
A Ukrainian mechanic driving an American Stryker armored vehicle looks at the camera on Aug. 14, 2024, near the Russian border in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine. (Kostiantyn Liberov/Libkos/Getty Images)
Russia reduced the use of aviation during its so-called Easter ceasefire but nevertheless continued its attacks since the very "first hours," Andrii Demchenko, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said on air on national television on April 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced a unilateral ceasefire beginning at 6 p.m. local time on April 19 and lasting until midnight April 21, calling it a test of Ukraine’s willingness to pursue peace. Ukrainian troops reported that they had seen no signs of the truce being honored.
"There was no ceasefire from the Russian side. It's more of an imitation that Russia wants some kind of truce," Demchenko said. "The attacks actually took place from the first hours of the day — from the moment the ceasefire was supposed to be in effect."
Russian forces used artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, and drones to target Ukrainian positions in Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts, the spokesperson said. In some sectors, Russian forces also reportedly attempted direct assaults on positions held by State Border Guard troops.
"Either (Russian President Vladimir) Putin does not have full control over his army, or the situation proves that in Russia, they have no intention of making a genuine move toward ending the war, and are only interested in favorable PR coverage," Zelensky said.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Anna Fratsyvir
