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.
A man holds a flag with the Wagner group logo in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, late on June 24, 2023. (ROMAN ROMOKHOV/AFP via Getty Images)
Latvia's State Security Service found direct and indirect invitations to join the Russian mercenary group Wagner on the internet, media outlet Delfi reported on Aug. 15.
The statement follows reports of Wagner propaganda materials being distributed in Polish cities. According to Latvian law enforcement, cited by Delfi, no outdoor advertising of the mercenary group has been found in Latvia so far.
Latvian citizens and residents are prohibited from serving in the army or a paramilitary organization of a foreign state that threatens the country's national security, Delfi wrote. Offenders may face up to four years in prison.
The Latvian State Security Service urged residents to report any Wagner propaganda materials or recruitment attempts, according to Delfi.
Last week, posters calling for joining Russia's Wagner Group appeared in various locations of Krakow, as reported by local media.
Polish Interior Minister Mariusz Kaminski said on Aug. 14 that the Internal Security Agency and police had identified two Russian citizens who were distributing Wagner propaganda materials in Krakow and Warsaw. Both were charged with espionage and arrested, according to Kaminski.
Thousands of Wagner troops and heavy equipment have recently poured into Belarus from Russia after the group's mutiny against the Kremlin.
Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported on July 27 that the group continued to recruit fighters while based in Belarus, under the condition that the new recruits are ready to participate in hostilities in neighboring Poland and Lithuania.
Poland pledged to deploy additional 2,000 soldiers to support the Border Guard stationed at the Belarusian border on Aug. 9.
