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.
A fire in Azov, Rostov Oblast, Russia, overnight on June 18, 2024, after a reported Ukrainian drone strike against oil depots. (open sources/Telegram)
Satellite images obtained by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's investigative project Schemes show the blaze that resulted from a Ukrainian drone strike on oil depots in Russia's Rostov Oblast overnight on June 18.
One of the images shows a large fire still burning hours after the attack which was carried out by drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a source in security and defense forces told the Kyiv Independent earlier on June 18.
According to Schemes, the depot in the city of Azov is run by "Azovproduct" and can store up to 30,000 tons of oil products.
There are no further details of the damage caused at this time.
Супутникові знімки @planet, які отримали журналісти «Схем» @KOvsianyi, демонструють наслідки атаки українських безпілотників на нафтобазу у місті Азов Ростовської області, що сталася в ніч на 18 червня. pic.twitter.com/UYgIxy03Wv
"The SBU will continue to implement 'drone sanctions' against the Russian oil refining complex and reduce the economic potential of the enemy, which provides the aggressor with resources for waging war against Ukraine," the source told the Kyiv Independent.
According to local Telegram channels, residents reported hearing explosions, and footage of the fire was shared on social media.
The source said that the blasts could be heard near the town's railway station and near the port where the oil depots are located.
Overall, the SBU carried out 20 successful attacks against Russian oil industry facilities in various regions, the source said.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Chris York
