Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"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.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power.”
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell conducted a two-day visit to Ukraine in a show of support. (The EU press service)
If Russia relaunches its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the European Union will unravel its full capacity of sanctions on the Russian economy and key officials, Josep Borrell, the EU's high representative for foreign policy and security, told the Kyiv Independent.
"We have to avoid having a war,” Borrell said during a meeting in Kyiv on Jan. 6, adding that all of his diplomatic efforts were focused on preventing the worst-case scenario.
“And one of the ways to prevent war is to try to explain which would have more consequences," Borrell said.
"And certainly… if there’s (a new) aggression against Ukraine, it will be a strong answer from Europe, mobilizing all the capacities to make Russia pay a high price," he added. "Not just sanctions on individuals, also (measures) affecting (Russian) economy.”
The recent acute border crisis started unfolding when Russia was seen massing over 100,000 troops near Ukrainian frontiers. The rapid military buildup alerted Kyiv and the West due to the threat of an escalation of the Russian-led conflict in the Donbas, which has already claimed over 13,000 lives since 2014.
As part of the Western effort to prevent the Kremlin from launching a blitzkrieg on Ukraine. On Dec. 16, the EU parliament passed a non-binding resolution calling on the most severe economic and political sanctions to be imposed on the Russian economy and leadership in case of a full-scale war.
In particular, the document demanded that Russia be disconnected from the SWIFT banking system, the $11 billion Nord Stream 2 pipeline project be aborted, while key Russian military and political decision-makers be subjected to harsh sanctions curtailing their capabilities to wage war on Ukraine.
However, Borrell commented on the resolution saying that the EU falls short of instruments to terminate Nord Stream 2, while the SWIFT system is also run by a private business organization that is not liable to the EU.
Nonetheless, as Borrell told the Kyiv Independent, it is his job to recommend sanction packages to the European Council, which is supposed to endorse such decisions unanimously.
“Part of the deterrence is not to unveil what can happen — just warning that the answer can be a very tough one," he said.
"Be sure that if there’s a new military aggression against Ukraine, the EU will use all of its sanction capacities."
When asked if such a vague and uncertain description of potential backlash in response to aggression towards Ukraine only emboldens the Kremlin, Borrell also opted not to agree.
"You can be sure that for those interested, the ones that can be affected, (these suggested measures) are not vague," he said.
Illia Ponomarenko was a defense and security reporter at the Kyiv Independent in 2021-2023. He has reported about the war in eastern Ukraine since the conflict’s earliest days. He covers national security issues, as well as military technologies, production, and defense reforms in Ukraine. Besides, he gets deployed to the war zone of Donbas with Ukrainian combat formations. He has also had deployments to Palestine and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as an embedded reporter with UN peacekeeping forces. Illia won the Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellowship and was selected to work as USA Today's guest reporter at the U.S. Department of Defense.
