U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
"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.
The aftermath of a Russian strike on Kherson on the evening of Oct. 27, 2023. (Roman Mrochko/Telegram)
A Russian strike on the city center of Kherson on the evening of Oct. 27 injured seven residents and damaged or destroyed over a dozen houses, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
The victims include women aged 82, 76, and 49, who suffered minor injuries and received treatment at a hospital, the official said.
Two 54-year-old men, as well as two others aged 55 and 58, sustained minor shrapnel wounds and were treated on the spot, refusing hospitalization, according to Prokudin.
The attack, launched at around 6:30 p.m., destroyed two houses, partially destroyed three, and caused damage to 10 others, Roman Mrochko, the head of the city's military administration, reported.
The southern city of Kherson has suffered regular Russian strikes since its liberation in Ukraine's counteroffensive last fall. The city, with a pre-war population of 280,000, lies on the right bank of the Dnipro River, not far from the Russian-occupied left-bank part of Kherson Oblast.
Russia also launched drone and artillery strikes on Oct. 27 on the Beryslav district, lying around 60 kilometers east of Kherson. A 79-year-old man, a 73-year-old woman, and a 62-year-old man were injured as a result of the strikes, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
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.
Alexander Khrebet
