The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
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Monday, May 12
(Updated: )
"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
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."
Monday, May 12
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.
"We cannot allow NATO's military infrastructure to get that close to our borders," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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.
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Defense Ministry: Ukraine regains initiative near Kupiansk, continues offensive along southern front
• 2 min read
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Malyar said on Telegram on July 18 that "the enemy offensive in the Kupiansk direction is currently unsuccessful."
The area is the location of heavy troop build-up by Russia. "The battles continue, but the initiative is already on our side," she added.
Serhii Cherevatyi, spokesperson for Ukraine’s Eastern Military Command, reported on July 17 that Russia was concentrating "more than 100,000 personnel, more than 900 tanks, more than 555 artillery systems, 370 MLRS" in the Lyman-Kupiansk direction.
The region was liberated in Ukraine's surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022.
According to the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, 18 combat clashes took place during the day, with Russia focusing its main effforts on the Kupyansk, Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka axes.
Malyar also stated that Ukrainian troops advanced on the southern flank of Bakhmut.
‘It’s a lottery’: How Ukraine’s assault brigade counterattacks near Bakhmut
Editor’s note: The Kyiv Independent spent a day with soldiers from the 80th Separate Assault Brigade in June, and the story is comprised of interviews with them about their experience near Bakhmut. The soldiers are identified by their names or callsigns, and their deployment locations are not reveal…
Asami Terajima
Along the southern front, Malyar reported that Ukrainian offensives were continuing towards Berdyansk and Melitopol.
"In the direction of Mala Tokmachka-Novopokrovka and Velika Novosilka-Urozhayne, our defenders were successful."
Concerning the slow pace of the counter-offensive in the area, she added that "our troops have to move in extremely difficult conditions" and that Russian forces are making huge efforts to stop any advances.
"Remember the liberation of Kherson - it also took more than one day."
Francis Farrell: As the world watches the counteroffensive, a sober hold on reality is Ukraine’s greatest weapon
This June was meant to be all about the great Ukrainian counteroffensive. After months of waiting, dozens of public statements from exasperated Ukrainian officials bound to silence, and even more analyses from experts and commentators in the media, the moment finally came when Ukrainian soldiers on…
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