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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen on a screen set at Red Square as he addresses a rally and a concert marking the claimed annexation of four regions of Ukraine Russian troops partially occupy - Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, in central Moscow on Sept. 30, 2022. (Alexander Nemenov/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine, 56 more countries, and the European Union condemned the illegally organized voting in Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine as part of Russia’s presidential election, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya said on March 15.
Russia began three days of voting on March 15 in a pseudo-democratic presidential election that is expected to grant Vladimir Putin, who has been in power since 1999, six more years in office.
Moscow is also organizing voting in occupied Crimea and parts of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts in violation of international law.
Following the U.N. Security Council’s meeting on illegal voting, Kyslytsya published a joint statement on behalf of Ukraine and dozens of other nations condemning Moscow’s election campaign in the occupied territories.
"Holding elections in another U.N. member state’s territory without its consent is in manifest disregard for the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity. Such elections have no validity under international law," reads the statement.
Except for European countries, the statement was supported by the U.S., Argentina, Australia, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Israel, Japan, Liberia, Marshall Islands, New Zealand, Palau, Paraguay, South Korea, and Uruguay.
Russia declared annexation of partially occupied Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Luhansk, and Donetsk oblasts in September 2022, a step denounced by Ukraine and the international community as illegal and void.
The Crimean peninsula was illegally annexed in March 2014 following a sham referendum staged by Russia in the absence of any international observers and with armed Russian soldiers present at polling locations.
The U.N. General Assembly adopted resolutions in 2022 and 2014 declaring that Russian sham referendums in Crimea and the other four Ukrainian regions had no validity under international law.
The countries who signed the March 15 statement reiterated the assembly’s call on all states and international organizations not to recognize any alternation of the status of Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.
"We reiterate the General Assembly’s call for the Russian Federation to stop its war of aggression against Ukraine and to immediately, completely, and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders," adds the statement.
"We reaffirm our unwavering support for Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters."
Katie Marie Davies
