According to the Verkhovna Rada's website, Ukraine completed the ratification of the U.S.-Ukraine minerals agreement on May 12. President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the deal.
"I believe both leaders are going to be there," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
"I myself have heard relatives talking: our village is being attacked, let's roll the car out of the garage, maybe they will shell it — at least we will get money. The car is old, we can't sell it," Belgorod Oblast Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said.
The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
"The clock is ticking — we still have twelve hours until the end of this day," German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius reportedly said.
"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"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.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
Poll suggests drop in Ukrainians’ trust in media, government
Ukraine's military and volunteers continue to command the trust of an overwhelming majority of Ukrainians, but trust in the government and some media has slipped since last year, a poll released by the Kyiv Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on Oct. 31 found.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) was the most trusted institution at 94%, followed by volunteers at 87%.
Although figures decreased by 15 percentage points since May 2022, President Volodymyr Zelensky was still trusted by 76% of respondents.
Local government remained unchanged, at 50% trust levels, but the results for the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, and the government as a whole, decreased from 58-21% and 74-39%, respectively.
In addition, Ukraine's "United News" 24/7 TV marathon dropped from 68 to 48%.
The telemarathon is a united news programming produced by the country's biggest media outlets, which broadcasts 24/7 on all major Ukrainian TV channels.
It was launched at the very beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion to combat Russian disinformation and keep Ukraine's morale high.
Across the board, a majority of respondents believed that "affairs in Ukraine are developing in the right direction." The results were between 58-61% throughout different regions of the country.
In regards to the decrease in trust levels of the government, it is important to put the figures in perspective.
In every category, trust levels have seen significant increases since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Zelensky still commands a level of trust and support rarely seen in Western democracies.
The average approval of U.S. presidents from 1938-2023 is only 53%. Of the three most recent presidents, only Barack Obama received an average approval rating of more than 50%.
The KIIS poll was conducted from Sept. 30 to Oct. 13, 2023, and involved 2,007 respondents from all regions of Ukraine.
Anastasiia Lapatina
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