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.
An anti-aircraft missile system on the roof of the main building of the Russian Defense Ministry on March 1, 2023, in Moscow. (Contributor/Getty Images)
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed 21 drones were shot down over occupied Crimea, Tula, Bryansk, and Kaluga regions overnight on Jan. 30.
Russian air defense systems reportedly intercepted 11 drones over occupied Crimea, five over Belgorod Oblast, three over Bryansk Oblast, one over the Kaluga region, and one over the Tula region.
Mikhail Razvozhaev, the head of Sevastopol's illegal Russian occupation government, announced on Telegram earlier tonight that Russian air defense shot down a drone over water in the Belbek area of occupied Crimea.
Drone attacks over Russian territory have increased in frequency over recent months. Moscow usually blames Ukraine, while Kyiv rarely takes direct responsibility for strikes on Russian soil.
Earlier this month, Novatek's gas-condensate plant caught fire at the port of Ust-Luga in Russia's Leningrad Oblast following a possible coordinated effort by Ukraine to strike key targets deep inside Russian territory. The Russian Defense Ministry also accused Ukraine of launching multiple drone attacks over Tula, Smolensk, and Oryol that same night. Additionally, the Russian city of Voronezh declared a state of emergency on Jan. 16 following an overnight drone attack.
A Dec. 30 strike on Belgorod, located about 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, reportedly killed 25 people and injured over 100. Officials in Belogorod claimed Ukrainian forces launched the attack, however, Ukraine did not claim responsibility.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
Daria Shulzhenko
