The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The SAMP/T Mamba air defense system at Kuchyna Air Base, north of Bratislava, Slovakia, on April 19, 2023. (Joe Klamar / AFP via Getty Images)
The Italian government is readying its new defense aid package for Ukraine that will include, among others, a SAMP/T air defense system, the Italian news outlet La Repubblica reported on May 2.
Ukraine has asked international partners to deliver more air defense in the wake of an increase in Russian strikes targeting energy infrastructure since March.
Previously, France and Italy jointly supplied Ukraine with a SAMP/T system back in 2023.
The new advanced air defense system Italy allegedly plans to deliver was deployed in Slovakia. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, known for his Ukraine-skeptic stances, said in March that Rome decided to pull back the system from his country.
The decision by the Italian government to provide another SAMP/T is reportedly linked to the worsening battlefield situation in eastern Ukraine, as Russia seeks to break through Ukrainian defense lines.
The new defense aid package will also allegedly include artillery and Stinger anti-air missiles, La Repubblica writes. It remains unclear whether Italy will agree to supply any of the available 100-200 Storm Shadow long-range missiles, according to the outlet.
The La Foglio outlet writes, citing NATO sources, that the decree on the new aid package may be published within the next few days or the next week. However, La Repubblica wrote that the package should be presented by the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, which will begin on June 13.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims as the Italian government has not made a public announcement.
According to the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (IfW Kiel), which tracks international aid for Ukraine, Italy has provided Ukraine with 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) in defense assistance as of late February.
Alexander Khrebet
