"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.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
TOPSHOT - An employee works at a pink salt production site on Lake Sasyk-Sivash near Yevpatoria, on September 21, 2023. The rare mineral is colored by tiny algae that produce the pigment beta-carotene. (Photo by STRINGER / AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
The European Business Association (EBA) urged the Ukrainian government to declassify its information on mineral deposit data, in a statement on Feb. 13.
The association argued that current restrictions hinder international agreements and discourage investment.
Currently, information on resources such as gold, lithium, titanium, and platinum is classified as secret or "for official use," limiting Ukraine’s ability to engage with global partners.
“Maintaining the “secret” classification of balance sheet reserves and resources may hinder their development and reduce investor interest,” the statement said.
The EBA also noted that the issue is especially relevant given Ukraine’s economic recovery plans under the Ukraine Facility program, and its strategic partnership with the EU in raw materials.
This comes amid U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent push for a rare earth deal with Ukraine, in exchange for providing further U.S. military aid.
"I told them that I want the equivalent of like $500 billion worth of rare earth (minerals), and they’ve essentially agreed to do that," Trump said on Feb. 11.
Ukraine has already signaled it is open to developing a partnership in resource extraction with the U.S. and other partners in exchange for security guarantees, but details on such a deal remain unclear.
Ukraine is home to 20 of the world’s critical minerals and metals, like titanium, used in the aerospace and defense industries, and lithium, an essential component of electric vehicle batteries.
Aside from this, the country also possesses rare earth elements — under which titanium and lithium do not fall — such as cerium, yttrium, lanthanum, and neodymium.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Kateryna Hodunova
