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.
Russian Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov attends a press conference at the Palace of Independence December 19, 2022 in Minsk, Belarus. (Contributor/Getty Images)
The Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia didn't make any statements about agreeing to prolong the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Russian state-owned news agency Interfax reported on July 14.
Earlier the same day, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that he reached an agreement with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin on the grain deal extension, as cited by Anadolu news outlet.
Russia has threatened not to prolong the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which allows Ukraine to continue exporting its agricultural products, unless the West eases its restrictions against Russia's grain and fertilizers exports. The current agreed-upon extension period is set to expire on July 17.
On July 13, Putin claimed that none of Moscow's conditions for extending the grain deal had been met, according to the Russian state-controlled news agency Interfax. The Kremlin's demands focus on logistics, insurance, and money movement when paying for Russian products.
"We can suspend our participation in this deal. If everyone once again says that all the promises given to us will be fulfilled, let them fulfill this promise. We will immediately join this deal," Putin said.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres offered Putin that he extends the Black Sea grain deal in exchange for connecting a subsidiary of Russian sanctioned bank to the SWIFT international payment system, Reuters reported on July 13.
The grain deal, brokered by Turkey and the UN in July 2022, has been essential in mitigating a global surge in food prices.
Russia's all-out war against Ukraine, one of the world's top grain exporters, initially prevented Ukraine from shipping agricultural products through its Black Sea ports.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Oleg Sukhov
