"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
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 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.
"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.
Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the economic issues via a video link at the Novo-Ogaryovo state residence outside Moscow, Russia on April 11, 2023. (Gavriil Grigorov / Sputnik / AFP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law on April 21 expanding the country's "foreign agents" legislation to target individuals who support actions by international organizations or foreign governments deemed hostile to Russia, state-run RIA Novosti reported.
The law further tightens the Kremlin's control over dissent, broadening the scope of who can be branded a "foreign agent" — a designation carrying heavy financial reporting requirements, fines, and widespread social stigma.
Under the new rules, individuals can be labeled as "foreign agents" for assisting in implementing decisions made by international bodies in which Russia is not a participant or by foreign state institutions, if those actions are judged to threaten Russian security.
Those designated under the law are barred from engaging in educational and outreach activities, receiving municipal support, or obtaining status as socially oriented nonprofit organizations.
First introduced in 2012 and significantly expanded in 2022, Russia's foreign agents law has become one of Moscow's primary tools for suppressing criticism.
The legislation targets individuals and organizations that receive foreign funding and participate in vaguely defined "political activities."
Following the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, the Kremlin has increasingly used censorship laws to stifle dissent, with thousands fined or imprisoned for speaking out against the war or spreading information not approved by the state.
The European Court of Human Rights has condemned the foreign agents law, calling it arbitrary, repressive, and incompatible with international human rights obligations.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Anna Fratsyvir
