The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 8, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of April, 2,857 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
French and Polish aircraft fly overhead during the opening of an exhibition dedicated to the 19th anniversary of Lithuania's accession to NATO in Vilnius, Lithuania, on March 29, 2023. (Photo by Oleg Nikishin/Getty Images)
Lithuania's past leaders, including former presidents Valdas Adamkus and Dalia Grybauskaitė, sent a letter asking NATO leaders to invite Ukraine to join the alliance during the Vilnius summit, the LRT public broadcaster reported on July 10.
"Gathering in Vilnius for the NATO summit, you have the opportunity to make a historic decision and invite Ukraine to NATO, without delaying and without waiting for the end of the war," said the statement, also signed by the first head of the restored Lithuanian state Vytautas Landsbergis and signatories of the Act of March 11, declaring the country's independence in 1990.
"Ukraine and its people, with their lives sacrificed for the freedom of us all, deserve that we all defend every centimeter of Ukrainian land. Your decision can stop Russia's aggression against Ukraine."
Earlier on July 10, the incumbent President Gitanas Nausėda called for a "clear plan" on Ukraine's much-desired membership, saying that the Allies should move past promises and declarations to real decisions.
Lithuania is not the only country hoping for decisive proposals for Ukraine at the summit. Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said that Warsaw counts on a "clear signal" from the Alliance regarding the support for Ukraine, Ukrinform wrote on July 10.
Minister Blaszczak said at a meeting with generals that Poland aims to have a border with independent Ukraine, not with a "part of Russia."
"That's why we support Ukraine... We realize that any attempt to rebuild an empire is evil, which the residents of Irpin and Bucha, who were killed by Russian soldiers, experienced for themselves," the minister said.
"We are counting on the fact that NATO will expand – Sweden will join the Alliance – and that NATO will give a clear signal regarding its support for Ukraine."
Ukraine, after applying for a fast-tracked NATO membership in September 2022, hopes for a decisive signal on its entry into the Alliance at the Vilnius summit on July 11-12. According to Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, Kyiv should be able to skip the Membership Action Plan on its path to accession.
However, even this procedure would still oblige Ukraine to carry out reforms and, contrary to the wishes of Eastern European allies, would not set any time frame for Ukraine's accession. The U.S. and Germany are expected to oppose a decisive invitation for Kyiv at the summit, citing the need for reforms and the ongoing Russian aggression.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Dinara Khalilova
