German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the trip is currently being coordinated and emphasized that the European Union must do “everything possible” to help secure a lasting cessation of hostilities beyond the upcoming weekend.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Laotian leader Thongloun Sisoulith will not attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9.
The so-called "humanitarian" truce will run from midnight on May 8 to midnight on May 11.
Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot, if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5.
News of Victoria Roshchyna’s brutal death at the hands of Russian captors shocked Ukraine and the world last week. Her body was returned mutilated — eyes gouged out, brain removed — bearing evidence of unspeakable brutality. It wasn’t an accident of war. It was a signature of it. This is
"Russia should know that we are expecting three million artillery shells from our allies. Not only North Korea is capable of helping in the war, we have allies who are helping Ukraine," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Key developments on May 3-4: * Zelensky rejects Putin’s truce proposal as 'theatrical,' backs 30-day ceasefire plan from US * US sanctions depend on whether Russia is 'behaving' on peace deal, Trump says * US to send refurbished Patriot air defense system from Israel to Ukraine, NYT reports * Ukrainian sea drones
When a Russian drone strike set a high-rise across the street on fire just after midnight on May 4, 34-year-old veteran Petro Kryvoruka shook his wife, Halyna, awake in their Kyiv apartment. As the buzzing of drones continued, he braced for another explosion. "I told (my wife), ‘Something is coming,
Despite previously rejecting a 30-day ceasefire agreement, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov claimed on May 3 that Ukraine's acceptance of a proposed three-day ceasefire agreement would amount to "a test of Kyiv’s readiness for long-term peace."
Speaking to journalists in a closed-door session, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the proposal was not a serious attempt to end the war and reiterated Ukraine’s support for a U.S.-backed strategy calling for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
U.K. Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke to U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance on May 2. The two officials reaffirmed a shared desire to end Russia's war against Ukraine, Lammy said.
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.
"This war must end — and Canada will continue our efforts among allies to bring about freedom, peace, and security for Ukraine," Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said.
"The Ukrainians have already said they're willing to give up the land... not de jure, forever, but de facto because the Russians actually occupy it... That's what they're willing to go to, they told me that last week," U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg 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.
One source told Bloomberg that negotiations have reportedly reached an impasse and require "direct contact between Putin and Trump" to make further progress.
Key developments on April 29: * Putin's Victory Day truce proposal 'is start of direct negotiations' with Ukraine, Lavrov says * Russia intensifies offensive operations in 3 regions, pushes toward Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine's military says * Ukrainian drones reportedly target Ryazan, Nizhny Novgorod oblasts in Russia * Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's eastern villages evacuating families as
"Our proposal, which President Putin voiced, is the start of direct negotiations, without preconditions," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has said he believes Ukraine will be "crushed very shortly," as it is up against Russia's "big war machine" that it cannot defeat. "I think I'm saving that nation. I think I'm doing a great service to Ukraine. I believe that," he said in an
"Russia could stop the killing and the bombing at any time, so there's absolutely no need to wait until the 8th of May," European Commission spokesperson Anita Hipper said.
Giorgia Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni voiced support for U.S. President Donald Trump's effort to broker a peace between Ukraine and Russia and lauded President Volodymyr Zelensky's readiness for an unconditional truce.
"I think I'm saving that nation ... I think I'm doing a great service to Ukraine," Trump told the Atlantic, while refusing to promise to send military aid to Kyiv.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio "underscored to his Russian counterpart the next steps in Russia-Ukraine peace talks and the need to end the war now," U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.
"In the next eight to ten days, we will increase pressure on Russia. I remain cautious (of a ceasefire) because part of the equation depends on Moscow," French President Emmanuel Macron said.
"We value human lives, not parades. That’s why we believe — and the world believes — that there is no reason to wait until May 8," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Key developments on April 28: * Putin announces 3-day truce on Victory Day's 80th anniversary * Trump says he believes Zelensky is ready to give up Crimea to Russia * Russia demands recognition of Crimea, other Ukrainian regions' annexation in any peace talks * Drones reportedly strike Russian plant producing parts for missiles, radars
"If Russia truly wants peace, it must cease fire immediately. Why wait until May 8th? If the fire can be ceased now and since any date for 30 days—so it is real, not just for a parade," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a so-called "humanitarian" truce from May 8 until midnight on May 11.
Moscow is waiting for a signal from Kyiv to resume bilateral peace negotiations, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on April 28, even as Russia continues its regular attacks on Ukraine.
When asked whether he thought Zelensky was willing to cede the peninsula, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014, Donald Trump responded: "I think so."
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."
"Since March 11, when America proposed a complete and unconditional ceasefire at talks in Saudi Arabia, the Russians have used almost 8,500 aerial bombs, almost 200 missiles of various types, and almost 3,000 Shaheds," Zelensky said on April 27.
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