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.
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.
The symbol of the Azov Brigade on the uniform of a serviceman (Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Azov Brigade soldier Oleksandr Ishchenko died in Russian captivity due to blunt force trauma to his chest, according to a forensic report published by the Azov deputy commander, Sviatoslav Palamar, on Aug. 7.
Palamar called Ishchenko's death "another brutal murder of a Ukrainian POW." The published report showed that the soldier's death was caused by multiple rib fractures and shock.
Ukraine's Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said on July 31 that Kyiv had not been officially informed of the death, but Ishchenko's daughter confirmed the news, saying he passed away nine days ago.
Collage of photos with Oleksandr Ishchenko, two photos in Russia's captivity (above) and two before Russia's captivity (below). (Sviatoslav Palamar/Facebook)
"This is not just another cynical violation of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War (POWs) by the Russians. This is a blow to human honor and dignity, to international law, to the principles and values that we defend at the front," Palamar said.
Ishchenko was 55 years old and a native of Mariupol. He joined the Azov Brigade as a driver shortly after the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion. He was captured while fighting in Mariupol in 2022.
Ishchenko was one of the 24 Ukrainians who were prosecuted by Russia in a sham trial last year. He was imprisoned in a detention facility in Rostov-on-Don.
"The killings of Ukrainian POWs should be the number one topic in the world media and on the agenda of international organizations," Palamar said.
"Only publicity, pressure on the Russians, and the bringing of our prisoners home can stop these killings."
Kateryna Denisova
