Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power.”
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
This photograph taken on Oct. 20, 2023 shows shot-down Russian drones and their parts at an exhibition called "A threat from the sky" at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey / AFP via Getty Images)
Russian companies continue to maintain access to purchasing firearms and ammunition from Europe and the United States, despite export restrictions that Western countries initiated against Russia, an investigation conducted by the German project Correctiv revealed.
Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, nearly 7,300 firearms, which include over a hundred sniper rifles, and nearly eight million rounds of ammunition have been imported into Russia, according to journalists' estimates.
These imports involve products from various Western manufacturers, including U.S. companies Smith & Wesson, Barrett Firearms, and Desert Tech, Austrian brands like Glock and Steyr Arms, as well as German companies including Merkel Jagd- und Sport Waffen GmbH, Nammo Schönebeck, RWS, Ruag Ammotech, Blaser, and others.
A portion of those Western weapons reportedly found its way into the hands of the Russian military operating in Ukraine. Firearms like Glock pistols, AR-15 automatic rifles, and Blaser R8 carbines have been identified in use, according to the investigation. These weapons were also observed at the recent arms fair in Moscow.
Correctiv alleges that the weapons did not have a direct route from Western manufacturers to Russia but were likely channeled through intermediaries in third countries. There has been a noticeable surge in the supply of hunting and sporting weapons from Germany to countries such as the UAE, Croatia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Poland, and Uzbekistan since February, 2022.
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.
Francis Farrell
