"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.
EU flags in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 28, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Ukraine will receive 4.5 billion euros ($4.9 billion) from the European Union through its four-year Ukraine Facility program next week, Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, announced on March 15.
"Very glad to pave the way for next week’s first disbursement of funds under the Ukraine facility," Johannes Hahn said on X (formerly Twitter). "We stand with Ukraine and invest by this also into our security. A lot of money, yet nothing compared to the Ukrainian people’s sacrifices for Europe."
Kyiv is set to receive an additional 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) to come over the next months.
The European Union Council on Feb. 28 greenlit a substantial aid package of 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in loans and grants earmarked for Kyiv, marking the formal adoption of the Ukraine Facility tool.
This financial support spans from 2024 to 2027, comprising 33 billion euros ($35.8 billion) in loans and 17 billion euros ($18.5 billion) in grants.
Following prolonged opposition from Hungary, European leaders reached a consensus during a summit on Feb. 1 to endorse the four-year financial assistance plan for Kyiv. The European Parliament ratified the decision on Feb. 27.
Among the allocations, 2 billion euros ($2.17 billion) are designated for migration and border management, 7.6 billion euros ($8.2 billion) for neighborhood and international relations, 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion) for the European Defense Fund, 2 billion euros ($2.17 billion) for the flexibility instrument, and 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion) for Solidarity and Emergency Aid Reserve.
"Grateful for the huge support, which paves the way for prevail and comprehensive recovery of Ukraine," Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said.
In 2023, Ukraine secured $42.5 billion in external financing, with $11.6 billion constituting non-refundable grants, according to the data provided by the Finance Ministry on Feb. 19.
Foreign aid is crucial for Ukraine as the economic pressure caused by the full-scale Russian invasion grows.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
