Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
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.
Marco Rubio, the U.S. secretary of state, during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Monday, March 24, 2025. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to Turkey next week amid a suggestion to renew Russia-Ukraine peace talks, the White House said in a statement published May 11.
Rubio will accompany U.S. President Donald Trump on a May 11–14 visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar aimed at deepening regional partnerships and discussing global security concerns. He will then continue 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 visit comes as Russia publicly proposes restarting peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul beginning May 15, but without agreeing to the unconditional 30-day ceasefire demanded by the United States, Ukraine, and key European allies.
"Secretary Rubio's engagements with senior officials will advance solutions to global and regional challenges, expand bilateral trade and investment, and reaffirm our strategic partnerships," the White House said.
At the NATO meeting in Antalya, Rubio is expected to promote President Trump’s agenda of "ensuring that our Allies contribute their fair share" to NATO and to push for a unified stance on ending the war in Ukraine.
The trip follows Russia’s offer, announced May 11, to resume negotiations in Istanbul, 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." Kremlin wants discussions to renew before any ceasefire agreement.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova emphasized that Putin "clearly said: first negotiate about the root causes, and then we can talk about a ceasefire."
Moscow's demands include the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from four partially occupied regions, the formal recognition of their annexation, the recognition of Crimea, a ban on NATO membership, and changes reinstating the role of the Russian language and church.
U.S. Special Envoy Keith Kellogg reactedon X, saying, "As President Trump has repeatedly said, stop the killing!! An unconditional 30-day ceasefire first and, during it, move into comprehensive peace discussions. Not the other way around."
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).
Anna Fratsyvir
