Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
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.
Ukrainian soldiers conduct maintenance on a camouflaged tank on the Bakhmut frontline on July 24, 2023. (Photo by Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian forces made unsuccessful attempts to regain lost positions near Klishchiivka and the recently liberated Staromairoske in Donetsk Oblast, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Aug. 2.
"In the Bakhmut direction, the enemy made unsuccessful attempts to regain lost positions north and west of Klishchiivka in Donetsk Oblast," the General Staff commented on the situation. The village of Klishchiivka is located south of the Russian-held Bakhmut.
Russian forces also attempted counterattacking east of Staromaiorske, a village in southwestern Donetsk Oblast, liberated by Ukrainian forces on July 27. Russia also targeted the vicinity of the settlement with airstrikes, the report added.
Ukrainian troops are holding positions near Avdiivka and Mariinka, repelling Russian advances in the area, the General Staff said. Spokesperson of the General Staff Pavlo Kovalchuk reported later on Aug. 2. that Russian forces have been forced to retreat from positions south of Avdiivka.
According to the report, Ukraine carries out offensive operations in the Melitopol and Berdiansk directions along the southern front line. In the Zaporizhzhia direction, Russia is focusing its efforts to prevent Ukrainian advances, the General Staff informed.
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said on Aug. 1. that Russia is concentrating its forces along the eastern front line, namely in the Kupiansk, Lyman, and Svatove directions, trying to pull Ukrainian forces away from Bakhmut and stop their advance in that area.
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.
Asami Terajima
