Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
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.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) meet in Sochi, Russia on Aug. 5, 2022. (Murat Kula/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke by phone with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss Moscow’s proposal to resume direct negotiations with Ukraine in Istanbul beginning May 15, according to a statement from the Kremlin dated May 11.
The call followed Putin’s invitation earlier in the day for Ukraine to restart talks, which, according to Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov, Russia wishes to be based on the terms of the 2022 Istanbul discussions and the "current situation on the battlefield."
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.
"Turkey will offer every possible assistance to facilitate the talks and efforts aimed at achieving sustainable peace," the Kremlin cited Erdogan as saying.
Though excluded from the Kremlin readout, Turkey's statement on the call stressed the importance of a ceasefire before peace talks begin.
"Noting that a window of opportunity to achieve peace has opened," the statement read, "President Erdogan said that a comprehensive ceasefire would create the necessary environment for peace talks."
The call comes as Russia pushes for talks to resume in Istanbul while continuing its military offensive in Ukraine. Kyiv has said it is ready to talk but insists any negotiations must begin with a full cessation of hostilities.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 11 that Ukraine is "ready to meet" if Russia confirms a "full, durable, and reliable" ceasefire.
The Istanbul talks refer to negotiations between Ukraine and Russia held in Turkey in late March 2022, which outlined potential terms for a peace deal.
In the three years since the failed talks, Russian propaganda networks have frequently pushed the idea that peace was almost achieved in Istanbul, before Western leaders, in particular then-U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, allegedly pressured Zelensky to reject the deal and continue fighting.
In reality, leaked documents from 2022 show that Moscow’s first peace offer amounted to Ukraine’s effective surrender.
According to an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Sistema, Russia’s initial six-page draft agreement, presented on March 7, 2022, demanded Ukraine reduce its military to just 50,000 troops and surrender its ability to develop or deploy long-range missiles or other advanced weapons.
The draft also required Ukraine to recognize Russia’s control over Donetsk and Luhansk, reinvest in the war-torn regions under Russian terms, and de facto legalize Soviet and communist symbols.
"The Istanbul accords happened 30 days after the invasion, and the demands in Istanbul were fairly significant on a very weakened Ukraine," said Keith Kellogg, U.S. presidential envoy for Ukraine, during a March 6 discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
The Kyiv Independent news desk
