"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.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the von der Leyen Commission, stands in the European Parliament building and speaks. (Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images)
It is necessary to explain to European citizens before the June parliamentary elections what it would mean to see Ukraine defeated and the Russian army move to EU borders, said Josep Borrell, the EU's chief diplomat, in an interview with EUROEFE published on Feb. 9.
There are worries that the upcoming elections to the European Parliament on June 6-9 could bring strong results to far-right parties skeptical of aiding Ukraine.
"Russia is going to go all out... (Russian President Vladimir) Putin has no intention of giving in. His political survival depends on it," Borrell said following his fourth visit to Ukraine since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
The top EU official pointed out that some people in the EU do not believe in aiding Ukraine against Russian aggression and say Kyiv should give up to achieve peace as soon as possible.
"Do you think that if Russia establishes a puppet regime in Ukraine, like the one they have in Belarus, and Russian troops are on the Polish border, will we get out of trouble, or will we have bigger problems?" Borrell asked.
Reiterating his calls for continued support for Kyiv, Borrell warned of other consequences of Ukraine's potential defeat. With Ukraine in his hold, Putin would control "35% of all global wheat markets," Borrell said.
Putin "is going to go all out and does not mind sacrificing his army and his people, as he is suffering enormous material and human losses and has not achieved any significant territorial advances," he added.
Since the start of the full-scale war, the EU has provided Ukraine with 88 billion euros (94.9 billion) in aid. The bloc also recently approved 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in four-year support.
The assistance from European countries is ever more crucial now as $60 billion from the U.S. remains stalled by political infighting in Congress.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Alexander Query
