The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal (L), Ukrainian Minister of Foreign Affairs Andrii Sybiha (R), and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas speak during a Ukraine-EU meeting in Lviv, on May 9, 2025 (Sergii Volskyi / AFP via Getty Images)
European foreign ministers approved the creation of a special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine during a meeting in Lviv on May 9.
The tribunal, which will operate under the auspices of the Council of Europe, aims to prosecute Russia's top political and military leadership, including President Vladimir Putin.
The approval marks a key step in international efforts to hold Moscow accountable for what is considered the gravest violation of international law committed against Ukraine.
In a joint statement, coalition representatives welcomed the completion of technical work on the legal instruments necessary to establish the tribunal.
They cited the UN General Assembly resolutions on aggression against Ukraine and the Vienna-Riga Statement of Nov. 22, 2024, as the foundation for the tribunal's mandate.
The coalition reaffirmed its commitment to launching the tribunal's work as soon as possible and called on additional states and international organizations to join and support the tribunal's activities.
The next formal step will be at the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers meeting in Luxembourg on May 13–14.
The statement was endorsed in the presence of EU foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, and Council of Europe Commissioner for Democracy, Justice and Rule of Law Michael McGrath.
Delegations from 35 countries and the Council of Europe gathered in Lviv on May 9. The visit coincided with Russia's Victory Day parade in Moscow, an annual event the Kremlin uses to showcase military might and justify its war against Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky has long advocated for the tribunal to ensure that Putin and other senior Russian officials face justice for launching the invasion nearly three years ago.
Ukrainian authorities have documented thousands of war crimes, including deliberate strikes on civilians, cultural heritage sites, medical facilities, as well as torture and forced deportations.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already issued arrest warrants for Putin and Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official overseeing the forced deportation of Ukrainian children to Russia.
Unlike other international charges such as war crimes or crimes against humanity, the crime of aggression targets only the top leadership responsible for planning and waging a war.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
