"Honestly, I will (impose sanctions), if we're not gonna make a deal," Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier in an interview published on May 16. "This would be crushing for Russia because they're having a hard time now with the economy."
European officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said they remain unsure of U.S. President Donald Trump's next move and fear that his unpredictable stance could undercut momentum toward a unified Western response.
"It’s more than 30 years of U.S. desire (to reduce troops in Europe), President Trump just said, enough, this is going to happen and it’s going to happen now," U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
"Contrary to Kremlin narratives, time is not on Russia’s side," reads a new report from the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE).
"The Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7, according to Politico.
EU ambassadors began talks this week on a 17th sanctions package that targets Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
In recent weeks, North Korea's leader has overseen the launch of a new naval destroyer and observed tests of new drone systems.
The French-made precision bombs are being transferred to Kyiv as part of ongoing defense support, and their use by Ukrainian fighter jets has grown significantly since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Debris from the drones damaged houses and vehicles in several areas of the city, including the Shevchenkivskyi, Obolonskyi, and Svyatoshynskyi districts.
A Russian drone attack on Ukraine's northeastern city of Kharkiv injured at least 47 people on May 2, according to local authorities. At least eight people have been hospitalized.
Despite the uncertainty, Ukrainian officials have touted the deal as a political milestone that could help revive U.S. support under Donald Trump.
It is "going to be up to the Russians and Ukrainians now that each side knows what the other's terms for peace are. It's going to be up to them to come to an agreement and stop this brutal, brutal conflict," U.S. Vice President JD Vance said.
"Vladimir Putin's Russia has made no effort, has sent no sign that it is ready for the ceasefire or the peace that President Donald Trump aspires to, and that the Europeans and, of course, the Ukrainians aspire to," French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said.
The comments come amid Trump’s increasing frustration with what he sees as Moscow’s refusal to end its war against Ukraine, as Russian attacks against Ukrainian civilians persist.
"Under Donald Trump’s presidency, if you come to our country and break our laws, you will be held accountable," U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem wrote.
"There have been 16 strikes on Kharkiv," Mayor Ihor Terekhov wrote on Telegram. "A high-rise apartment block was hit as well as private residences, a medical facility, and civil infrastructure."
One source told Bloomberg that negotiations have reportedly reached an impasse and require "direct contact between Putin and Trump" to make further progress.
"While the Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, (Valery) Gerasimov, reports the 'liberation' of the Kursk region from Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces, operators of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center continue to carry out missions in the area successfully," the military said.
When asked whether he thought Zelensky was willing to cede the peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, Donald Trump responded: "I think so."
Ukraine’s military spending grew by 2.9% in 2024 to reach $64.7 billion, roughly 43% of Russia’s total expenditure, according to a report released on April 28 by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
U.S. President Donald Trump on April 27 voiced frustration with Russia and urged President Vladimir Putin to stop attacks. "I was very disappointed that missiles were flying, [fired] by Russia."
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s handling of the Russia-Ukraine war, warning that it risks damaging America’s European alliances.
In a statement reported by the state-run KCNA news agency, the ruling Workers’ Party described the deployment as demonstrating the "highest strategic level of the firm militant friendship" between North Korea and Russia.
"If one country in Europe is forced to give up parts of its legal territory... no country in Europe or elsewhere can feel safe, NATO or no NATO," one diplomat told CNN.
Instead of placing troops near the front lines, the U.K. and France now reportedly aim to send military trainers to western Ukraine, fulfilling a commitment to deploy personnel without engaging in direct defense roles.
“Stopping the war, stopping from taking the whole country, pretty big concession,” Donald Trump said on April 24 when asked what Russia has offered as part of a potential peace deal.
The ruling reportedly stems from a YouTube video that allegedly revealed both casualty figures and personal details of Russian soldiers killed during the full-scale invasion.
The ceremony took place at the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour and was led by Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church and a staunch supporter of both Putin and the war in Ukraine.
Iran maintains that its nuclear program is purely peaceful and has indicated a willingness to accept limited restrictions in return for the lifting of international sanctions.
"Germany, of all places, has a decisive role to play in stopping murder and bringing about a just peace," Ukrainian diplomat Andrii Melnyk wrote on April 19.
The president said that at least 67 Ukrainian priests, pastors, and monks have been killed or tortured by Russian forces, and that 640 religious sites—most of them Christian—have been destroyed since the start of the full-scale invasion.
