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.
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.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
An explosion allegedly caused by Russian drone debris falling in Romania during Russia's overnight attack on Odesa Oblast on Sept. 4, 2023. (Photo: Oleh Nikolenko/Facebook)
The Romanian military has discovered suspected Russian drone fragments near one of the Danube River's branches, the Romanian Defense Minister reported on Sept. 13.
According to the ministry, a Romanian helicopter crew found possible drone debris near the villages of Nufărul and Victoria in Tulcea County, dispersed over an area of several tens of meters, at around 11:30 a.m. local time.
Another helicopter was reportedly dispatched to the site with a specialized team onboard to investigate the fragments.
The villages lie at the Saint George's Branch of the Danube, roughly 15-20 kilometers southeast of the Ukrainian border.
This is not the first time the Romanian authorities have found fragments of what are presumably Russian drones destroyed in strikes against Ukraine.
Russia has escalated its attacks against Ukrainian port infrastructure following its unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, targeting Ukraine's river ports Izmail and Reni near the Romanian border.
Following a drone attack overnight on Sept. 4, Ukraine said that some unmanned aerial vehicles had fallen and detonated on Romanian soil.
Bucharest initially denied the report, only to change their statement on Sept. 6, when Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar confirmed that what appears to be drone fragments had been found on Romania's side of the Danube River.
On Sept. 9, the Romanian military found debris from yet another drone "similar to those used by the Russian army" at Plauru, a village only a few hundred meters from the Ukrainian border.
Romania's President Klaus Iohannis condemned the incident "caused by the Russian attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube."
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
