U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
Illustrative photo: Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev arrives to the Russian-Chinese talks at the Grand Kremlin Palace, on March 21, 2023 in Moscow, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev сlaimed that Ukraine joining NATO would be viewed as a declaration of war against Moscow. He emphasized that only "prudence" on the alliance's part could prevent catastrophic consequences for the planet, according to his interview published by a local weekly newspaper.
Medvedev, who is currently a deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, told Argumenty i Fakty that Ukraine's membership would pose more than a direct threat to Moscow's security. "From the very beginning, we have made it clear to NATO that Ukraine's accession is not just a direct threat to Russia's national interests. It is, in fact, a declaration of war, albeit with a delay."
During the recent summit, NATO leaders pledged to support Ukraine on a path toward full Euro-Atlantic integration, including potential NATO membership, without specifying a timeline for accession.
"The actions that Russia's opponents have been taking against us for years, expanding the alliance ... take NATO to the point of no return," Medvedev was quoted as saying.
Medvedev has made numerous controversial and inflammatory statements on social media platforms and has openly challenged Ukraine's right to exist as an independent nation, declaring that "Ukraine is definitely Russia" and calling it "an integral part of Russia's strategic and historical borders."
During his presidency from 2008 to 2012, Medvedev, once seen as a pro-Western modernizer, has transformed into a staunch hawk, cautioning the U.S. and its allies that their support for Kyiv could result in a "nuclear apocalypse."
In a standard Kremlin line since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Medvedev said Russia though does not threaten NATO: "Russia ... has no intention of attacking alliance member countries, and certainly does not aim to turn their populations into fine radioactive dust," Medvedev said.
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.
Sonya Bandouil
