As peace talks ramp up, experts and officials are already working on a looming post-war threat: the potential large-scale proliferation of guns in Ukraine once they are no longer needed on the battlefield. "When the war ends, Ukraine will not only have to rebuild its infrastructure and resettle displaced people
After a two-hour call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia reiterated its refusal for a full ceasefire in the war in Ukraine while the U.S. once again failed to respond with any significant pressure. For observers across Europe, watching the way the negotiations
Editor’s note: In accordance with newsroom policy on reporting on children and the policies of organizations interviewed, the Kyiv Independent is not using the names of children under 18 or the last names of their parents who appear in this story. When the children arrive at a basement shelter
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include comments from a 2022 interview, given while Robert Prevost was Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru. With the announcement that Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost has been chosen as the new pope and leader of the Catholic Church, Ukrainians are wondering what the surprise
The signing of a long-awaited minerals deal between the U.S. and Ukraine has come after months of tense negotiations as Kyiv worked on resetting its tumultuous relationship with U.S. President Donald Trump. The key deal, inked on April 30, creates an investment fund and grants the U.S.
After the deadliest attack on Kyiv since last summer killed 13 civilians, U.S. President Donald Trump appeared to lose patience with Russia, posting on social media, “Vladimir, Stop! 5,000 soldiers a week are dying. Let’s get the peace deal done!” Trump repeated a number he’s cited
U.S. President Donald Trump's promise to negotiate peace in Ukraine within his first 100 days in office collided with reality by April 30 — a slew of Russian missile and drone attacks during this time have spiked civilian death tolls, and a peace deal with Moscow that is still out
As U.S. officials continue to push for a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine, five Ukrainian territories have emerged as a central focus — and sticking point — in the negotiations. “This peace deal is about these so-called five territories,” U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff said in comments to Fox News
Zaporizhzhia — During what would usually be evening rush hour in Zaporizhzhia, cars move easily through main streets that were once choked with traffic. As the shadows grow longer, soldiers calmly remove camouflage netting from the air defense weapons they’ll man against Russia’s deadly attacks until the sun rises
It's late in the second period of game four of the Ukrainian national hockey championship on April 2, and the upstart Kyiv Capitals, only in its second season, leads against established Hockey Club (HC) Kremenchuk and its star-studded roster. The Capitals captain, Serhii Chernenko, steals the puck and sends it
He's been "pissed off," "not happy," and "very angry," but so far, U.S. President Donald Trump is yet to take any concrete action to force Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a full ceasefire. Trump has multiple forms of leverage he could use against the Kremlin — increasing military
After three days of separate intensive discussions with the United States, Russia and Ukraine left the latest round of ceasefire talks in Saudi Arabia with agreements to declare a limited ceasefire in the Black Sea and to halt strikes against energy facilities. While lauded by the White House as progress
On March 18, Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had stopped a significant Ukrainian ground assault from entering Russia’s Belgorod Oblast, a claim that Ukraine swiftly denied as a propaganda effort.
Throughout Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, repeated and escalating warnings of the potential for a wider war have only raised fears in the Baltic states that they could be next in the crosshairs of the Kremlin. Talk about a potential Russian invasion is "very common at parties, gatherings, lunch breaks,
As a U.S. delegation in Moscow worked to hammer out a ceasefire agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Russian leader responded by demanding extensive concessions in exchange for a ceasefire deal in Ukraine. So far, Trump has made harsh demands on Ukraine while avoiding putting similar pressure on
After Ukrainian and U.S. officials met in Saudi Arabia for peace deal talks to end the war with Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed on March 12 that potential "territorial concessions" from Ukraine were part of the discussion. Since U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated
Since Russia began its full-scale invasion more than three years ago, the demands on social services have multiplied. Millions are internally displaced, the number of people with disabilities has risen by 10%, and more than 13,000 children have been orphaned. Populations who were already vulnerable are often hit harder
U.S. President Donald Trump’s escalating pressure on Ukraine over the past week has shocked the global community as he pushes for a quick end to Russia’s full-scale invasion. The news on March 3 that the U.S. would suspend all military aid to Ukraine sparked fears in
An astounding political encounter played out in front of the world on Feb. 28, as a highly-anticipated meeting between Presidents Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump descended into a verbal brawl, the cancelling of a mineral deal and — reportedly — Zelensky's unceremonious eviction from the White House. Zelensky left
Donald Trump is elected U.S. president after criticizing a war abroad and calling for its end. He negotiates a deal with an adversary of the United States under heavy sanctions, cutting an ally out of their own country’s peace talks. The disastrous deal is viewed as a surrender
For nearly three years, all of Ukraine has been living under martial law. The introduction of martial law temporarily suspended some civilian rights and freedoms and gave the government additional emergency powers in order to fight off Russia’s invasion. Mandatory curfews keep people off the streets at night. Elections
After promising to quickly resolve the war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump and his top officials’ actions on Feb. 12 appeared to undermine Ukraine’s leverage in peace talks, renewing fears that his plans for a quick resolution could amount to a victory for Russia. Trump announced he
When Oleg Rostovtsev hovered between life and death after a serious operation last April, he asked friends and family to do something that, until recently, had been impossible — to pray for him by reading the Tehillim, the Hebrew Book of Psalms, in Ukrainian. Hebrew or Ukrainian, he requested, just not
More than a decade after Ukraine’s pro-democracy EuroMaidan Revolution, the false — but persistent — claim that the movement was a Western-backed "coup" refuses to die. Elon Musk on Feb. 2 boosted to his more than 215 million followers a post on X which parroted Russian disinformation, claiming without evidence that
Only days after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to the White House, he dialed up the heat on Russia with a threat of sanctions, tariffs, and negotiating "the hard way" if Russian President Vladimir Putin fails to come to the table for a peace deal with Ukraine. Trump has
Twenty days into her new post as Ukraine's military rights commissioner, Olha Reshetylova said that she had already received 3,876 appeals.
For a decade, the world has seen how Russia has scarred Ukraine’s landscape with tens of thousands of bombs and missiles. The spiritual wounds — and awakenings — experienced by millions of Ukrainians are less visible. Almost a third of Ukrainians say their religious faith has grown since the war broke
Parliament was scheduled to vote on Dec. 3 on a new law proposing up to eight years imprisonment for accessing or disseminating confidential state register information during martial law, a bill that Ukrainian media and human rights organizations have urged parliament to reject on free speech concerns. However, parliamentary voting
Editor’s note: In accordance with the security protocols of the Ukrainian military, most soldiers featured in this story are identified by first names or callsigns only. One soldier is mentioned by first and last name as he is permitted to use his full name with the press. Ihor was
More than two years after Russia’s full-scale invasion delayed its release and upended its developers’ lives, Ukraine’s "S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2" — one of the most anticipated video games of the year — was released on Nov. 20. Employees of GSC Game World, the Ukrainian company
Despite warnings from some analysts ahead of the U.S. elections that a win by the Republican nominee Donald Trump could become a “worst-case scenario” for Ukraine, the mood in Kyiv after his victory was far more mixed. Some Ukrainians are optimistic that the president-elect could improve Kyiv’s standing
The individual points were focused on the country's unity, front-line situation, arms, finances, energy, security, communities, human capital, cultural sovereignty, and veterans, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said on his Telegram channel.
