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.
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.
Russian spokesperson Dmitry Peskov attends a press conference in Minsk, Belarus, on Dec. 19, 2022. (Contributor/Getty Images)
U.S. statements ruling out Ukraine's membership in NATO align with Russia's views and "satisfy" Moscow, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 21, Interfax news agency reported.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a ban on Kyiv joining the alliance was part of a ceasefire proposal presented by U.S. officials to Ukraine during Paris talks last week.
The news underscored the Trump administration's already voiced opposition to Ukraine's membership.
"We have heard from Washington at various levels that Ukraine's membership in NATO is out of the question," Peskov said.
"Of course, this is something that satisfies us and aligns with our position that Ukraine should not be a NATO member," the spokesperson added.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly echoed Moscow's narrative that Ukraine's efforts to join the alliance have been one of the root causes of the full-scale invasion.
Russian aggression against Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, a time when Kyiv had little prospects of joining the alliance in the near future.
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, months after the outbreak of the full-scale war. The country has yet to receive a formal invitation, as the 32 members have struggled to reach a consensus.
"NATO isn’t on the table," said U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg in an interview with Fox News on April 20.
Ukraine has previously rejected restrictions on joining international alliances and organizations—namely, NATO and the EU—as part of a potential peace deal.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recently said that Kyiv's path toward membership remains "irreversible" — as agreed during a NATO summit in 2024 — but added that the matter would not be part of an eventual peace settlement.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the U.S. recognizing the Russian annexation of Crimea could potentially be part of a peace deal.
Asked about the topic, Peskov said that the path toward a "peaceful resolution cannot and should not take place in the public arena."
Kyiv has repeatedly rejected recognizing Russian occupation in any peace deal.
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.
Carl Bildt
