Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
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.
Bill Blair, Canada's then public safety and emergency preparedness minister, speaks during a news conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on Monday, March 16, 2020. (David Kawai/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ottawa is ready to send a limited number of military personnel to Ukraine, but only to train Ukrainian soldiers and not for participation in hostilities, Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said in an interview with Toronto Star, published on Feb. 29.
Following the Feb. 26 summit of European leaders in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron suggested that sending Western troops on the ground in Ukraine can not be "ruled out" in the future, adding that there was no consensus on such a move.
According to Blair, Canada is open to sending a certain number of its soldiers in "a clear, non-combat role" to Ukraine to train the Ukrainian soldiers, provided that operations will take place far from the front line.
Canada is one of six NATO countries that have signed agreements on security assistance with Ukraine, which includes "comprehensive support" for Ukraine over the next 10 years.
After Macron's statement, the Canadian defense minister, along with leaders of Germany, the U.K., and other European NATO member states, as well as NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, ruled out sending Western troops to Ukraine.
Later, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas noted that European leaders should not exclude this possibility, saying this could be "a signal to Russia."
During a two-hour State of the Nation address on Feb. 29, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened "tragic consequences" if NATO troops were sent to Ukraine, claiming the West's support for Kyiv "risks a conflict using nuclear weapons."
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Vladyslav Kudryk
