"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"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.
Photo for illustrative purposes: A worker walks through a burned-out control room at a power plant of energy provider DTEK, destroyed after an attack, in an undisclosed location in Ukraine on April 19, 2024. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, will receive $112 million from the EU and the U.S. to restore facilities damaged in Russian attacks and prepare them for winter, the company said on Nov. 25.
Russian attacks have destroyed 90% of DTEK's generation capacity during an aerial campaign in the spring and summer earlier this year, which aimed to knock out Ukraine's power grid.
Moscow's forces launched another massive attack on Nov. 17, again targeting DTEK's power plants.
The U.S. government is providing $46.1 million to purchase control systems and dozens of new transformers, while the European Commission pledged 62.8 million euros ($66 million) to restore 1.8GW of generating capacity and to protect power plant equipment from elements during the winter.
"The work will ensure a stable and reliable energy supply to more than 2 million Ukrainians," the company said in a press release.
"The United States is proud to support Ukraine's energy resilience with this critical aid package," said Geoffrey Pyatt, the assistant secretary of state for energy resources.
"By providing $46.1 million for control systems and new transformers, we are helping to rebuild and fortify Ukraine's energy infrastructure against Russia’s unprovoked attacks."
DTEK's CEO, Maksym Timchenko, said the company is "deeply grateful for the unwavering support of the United States and the European Commission, and the leadership of the Ministry of Energy in delivering this vital aid."
In turn, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), one of Ukraine's largest institutional investors, said it would not provide funds to DTEK due to its ownership by oligarch Rinat Akhmetov.
"The objective of freeing the economy from the influence of oligarchs is absolutely fundamental," EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso said, according to the Italian publication Corriere della Sera.
Akhmetov is Ukraine's wealthiest man, with vast holdings in mining and metallurgy. Formerly a lawmaker of the pro-Russian Party of Regions, the business tycoon saw a large part of his assets lost during Russia's invasion.
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.
Mykola Kolisnyk
