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.
News Feed
Monday, May 12
"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."
Monday, May 12
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.
(Updated: )
"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We cannot allow NATO's military infrastructure to get that close to our borders," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
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.
Preliminary findings suggest that one of the men killed the other before taking his own life.
Western leaders dismissed the Kremlin's proposal for talks in Istanbul on May 15 as insufficient.
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.
News Feed
Guardian: Some NATO members may consider sending troops to Ukraine, warns former alliance chief
• 2 min read
Some NATO countries may decide to put troops on the ground in Ukraine if its member states fail to provide Kyiv with meaningful security guarantees at the alliance's summit in Vilnius, former NATO secretary general Anders Rasmussen said on June 7.
“If Nato cannot agree on a clear path forward for Ukraine, there is a clear possibility that some countries individually might take action," Rasmussen said. "We know that Poland is very engaged in providing concrete assistance to Ukraine. And I wouldn’t exclude the possibility that Poland would engage even stronger in this context on a national basis and be followed by the Baltic states, maybe including the possibility of troops on the ground."
The former secretary general said Ukraine should receive written security guarantees, covering intelligence sharing, trainings, ammunition production, continued arms supplies before the summit. According to Rasmussen, these guarantees would be a start, but should not overshadow Ukraine's path to NATO as a priority.
Rasmussen Global, a political consultancy firm founded by former NATO secretary general, has been lobbying for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine through a pro-bono political campaign. Rasmussen also chairs the Group on International Security Guarantees for Ukraine with Head of the Office of the President Andriy Yermak.
In April, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that security guarantees and Ukraine's membership would be discussed at the summit. In May, Washington Post reported that Ukraine will not receive a formal invitation to join the alliance at the July summit as countries do not have a unified approach.
Washington Post: NATO lacks consensus on Ukraine’s membership ahead of Vilnius summit
NATO will not issue a formal invitation for Ukraine to join the alliance at the upcoming Vilnius summit in July, according to official sources interviewed by The Washington Post.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
Most Popular
After 3 years of full-scale war in Ukraine, Europe announces plan to ban all Russian gas imports
Journalist Roshchyna's body missing organs after Russian captivity, investigation says
Ukrainian sea drone downs Russian fighter jet in 'world-first' strike, intelligence says
'Justice inevitably comes' — Zelensky on deaths of high-ranking Russian officials
Ukraine is sending the war back to Russia — just in time for Victory Day
Editors' Picks
How medics of Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade deal with horrors of drone warfare
As Russia trains abducted children for war, Ukraine fights uphill battle to bring them home
'I just hate the Russians' — Kyiv district recovers from drone strike as ceasefire remains elusive
