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."
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.
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.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Members of the local Belarusian diaspora, activists, and local supporters gather on May 29, 2020, in Dublin to show their solidarity with Belarusians protesting against Belarusian dictator Alexander lU (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ambassadors from the European Union’s member states agreed on July 26 to adopt “restrictive measures” against Belarus due to its complicity in Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“Today, EU ambassadors agreed on adopting restrictive measures in view of the situation in Belarus and the involvement of Belarus in the Russian aggression against Ukraine. The measures will include listings of individuals and entities,” the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU said in a Tweet.
No further information was provided. Politico reported on July 18, citing unnamed EU diplomats, that the EU informally agreed to impose a set of military sanctions against Belarus.
The proposed package reportedly includes restrictions on battlefield equipment, including aviation parts, and will parallel the sanctions imposed on Russia in an attempt to mitigate Moscow’s rerouting of sanctioned goods via Belarus.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty journalist Rikard Jozwiak reported that next to aviation, the latest sanctions should also target dual-use goods.
Deutsche Welle said on July 18 that the EU is preparing new sanctions for the anniversary of Belarus’ fraudulent presidential election in August 2020, which tightened Lukashenko’s illegitimate grip on the country.
The European Parliament issued a condemnation of the Belarusian regime on July 18, criticizing its human rights violations and its support for Russia’s aggression in Ukraine. The EU’s legislative body called for tougher sanctions against Belarus applied by the member countries.
The parliament also asked the International Criminal Court to issue an arrest warrant on dictator Alexander Lukashenko.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Maria Yeryoma
