"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Denmark's Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen speaks during a press conference in Copenhagen, on Sept. 18, 2024. (Ida Marie Odgaard/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)
The Danish government approved its 25th package of military assistance to Ukraine worth 6.7 billion Danish kroner ($970 million), which will provide support to Ukraine from 2025 until 2027, the Danish Defense Ministry announced on April 3.
The package, funded through the Danish Ukraine Fund, includes air defense equipment, artillery, and financial assistance to the Ukrainian Air Force.
"The security situation is evolving rapidly. Therefore, Denmark must continue its massive support to Ukraine. From the start of the war, Denmark has been among the countries leading the way in donations," Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said.
"With the 25th donation package, we emphasize our support for Ukraine in both the short and long term," Poulsen added.
The assistance program includes the allocation of 1.4 billion Danish kroner ($203 million) until 2027 for the purchase of artillery and ammunition in cooperation with allies. Additional funds are allocated for air defenses, the drone coalition, and the IT coalition.
Denmark will also invest 2 billion Danish kroner ($290 million) in Ukraine's defense industry, according to the statement.
"The Danish model has shown that there is a Ukrainian capacity to produce and deliver equipment for the Ukrainian fight for freedom. Denmark must continue to invest in this, and I hope that other countries will follow our example to an even greater extent," Poulsen said
At the end of September 2024, Denmark announced it would invest 4.2 billion Danish kroner ($630 million) in the Ukrainian defense industry.
Copenhagen pioneered the so-called Danish model of purchasing weapons for Ukraine directly from Ukrainian producers. In January, Denmark reserved 135 million euros ($139 million) for further purchases under the Danish model this year.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Dominic Culverwell
