"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.
President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola is seen during a ceremony in Brussels, Belgium, on May 31, 2023. (Photo: Artur Widak/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Drone attacks on Moscow shouldn't have any impact on the EU's support for Ukraine, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola told Deutsche Welle on May 31.
"I think anyone who makes this argument is forgetting the fact that Russia invaded Ukraine. This is not a conflict between two countries. This is one country invading another and taking part of its territory," Metsola said.
The EU will not stop supplying aid to Ukraine until Russia withdraws from Ukrainian territory, Metsola added.
Metsola's comments come after a drone attack on Moscow on May 30 that damaged several high-rise buildings. Russia accused Ukraine of orchestrating the attack, with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin threatening retaliation.
Ukrainian officials have deniedresponsibility for the attack on Moscow.
That same morning, Russia launched yet another drone attack against Kyiv, targeting the capital for the 17th time in May. One person was killed, and at least 13 others were injured.
Metsola went on in her interview with DW to call for the "speedy approval" of the EU Commission's proposal to supply Ukraine with more ammunition.
"I believe that we should take action when we receive proposals (from the EU Commission), as I do when I go to different member states and explain what we are doing. We, let's say, had to adapt to an emergency situation, just like during the pandemic," Metsola said.
The EU Commission essentially acts as the executive branch of the bloc and can propose new legislation, which is then reviewed by the EU Parliament, the latter of which shares legislative powers with the EU Council.
The EU Parliament is scheduled to consider the EU Commission's proposal on June 1 which would allow EU countries to jointly provide Ukraine with one million artillery rounds by the end of 2023.
Politico reported in early April that the EU's plan to procure ammunition for Ukraine had been hitting roadblocks over contract disagreements.
Kate Tsurkan is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent who writes mostly about culture-related topics in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia. Her newsletter Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan, which focuses specifically on Ukrainian culture, is published weekly by the Kyiv Independent. The U.S. publisher Deep Vellum published her co-translation of Ukrainian author Oleh Sentsov’s Diary of a Hunger Striker in 2024. Some of her other writing and translations have appeared in The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, Harpers, The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Review of Books, and elsewhere. She is the co-founder of Apofenie Magazine.
Agatha Gorski
