Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power.”
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
According to Ukrainska Pravda, from Feb. 14 international insurers will suspend their protection of flights entering and leaving Ukraine. This will likely cause great disruption to commerical aviaiton in Ukraine, closing most air routes into and out of the country. (Boryspil International Airport/Facebook)
Aircraft traveling through Ukrainian airspace will no longer be insured by international insurance companies from Feb. 14, forcing flights to be grounded or canceled, according to Ukrainian publication Ukrainska Pravda.
The outlet quoted information from unnamed sources in the aviation industry.
Anatoliy Ivantsiv, head of Ukrainian insurance firm Expo, told Interfax that British reinsurance giant Lloyds announced it would temporarily cease all conflict risk insurance over Ukrainian airspace from Feb. 14.
Ukraine's infrastructure ministry announced on Feb. 13 that it would provide "additional financial guarantees" to carriers to ensure the continuation of international routes.
"In case of a need (to do so), the government will ensure the return of all Ukrainians from abroad," the ministry announced.
The revocation of insurance policies will likely mean that Ukrainian airlines, who lease almost all of their planes, will not be able to fly most of their fleets above Ukraine.
Dutch airline KLM cancelled all flights to Kyiv on Feb. 12, while on the same day Ukrainian carrier SkyUp was forced to divert a flight to Moldova as the leasing company which owned the plane refused to let it enter Ukrainian airspace.
This comes on the back of growing tensions along Ukraine’s borders with Russia and Belarus. Russia has stationed around 140,000 troops along Ukraine's eastern, southern, and northern borders, with the United States government now warning that an invasion threat is “imminent.”
During a press conference on Feb. 11, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned that an invasion of Ukraine could begin at any time, and would likely start with “aerial bombing and missile attacks” which threatened to “kill civilians without regard to their nationality.”
International fears of a large-scale Russian invasion now risk closing transport routes out of Ukraine. Avianews warned that Ukraine could soon become a “no-fly zone” due to the cancellation of commercial flights in Ukraine.
According to the publication, unless an agreement is made between the Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure and international insurers and airlines, Ukraine will gradually be closed to air traffic.
The Ukrainian government still insists that it sees no reason to close Ukrainian airspace to commercial traffic. Advisor to Ukraine’s president’s chief of staff Mykhailo Podolyak told Reuters on Sunday that closing Ukraine’s airspace was “nonsense” and akin to a “partial blockade.”
However, on Feb. 13, the Ukrainian State Air Traffic Services Enterprise warned airlines against flying over the Black Sea. The state company labelled the area as “potentially dangerous” and advises aircraft not to fly over the sea’s open waters on Feb. 14-19.
Dylan Carter is a staff writer at the Kyiv Independent. He studied modern languages at the University College of London and Paris Sorbonne IV. He worked as an assistant lecturer at the Kyiv School of Economics and at Ukrinform before joining the Kyiv Post in June 2021.
