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.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz arrives to hold talks with members of the foreign press on Sept. 12, 2023, at the Chancellery in Berlin. (John MacDougall/AFP via Getty Images)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that he expects Kyiv and Berlin to agree on security guarantees "soon" during the press conference on Jan. 24.
The Group of Seven (G7) countries and several other partners have pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine via bilateral treaties. The U.K. was the first one to finalize such a deal during U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's visit to Kyiv on Jan. 12.
The latest round of consultations on security guarantees between Ukraine and Germany took place in December 2023. The parties discussed crucial points of the future bilateral agreement and its legal framework.
According to the chancellor, he will shortly resume negotiations with President Volodymyr Zelensky about this issue.
"I assume we will finalize it soon," Scholz said.
"I feel that we are close to the final stage of negotiations."
He added that Germany would support Ukraine for as long as necessary and reminded Berlin's pledge to provide over seven billion euros ($8 billion) in military supplies to Ukraine in 2024.
Scholz also called upon other EU member states to increase support for Kyiv as it faces Russian aggression.
Germany has supported Ukraine with weapons and equipment deliveries since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion, eventually becoming the second largest donor of military aid after the U.S. Earlier this month, Berlin announced the first transfer of military helicopters to Ukraine.
Last week, French President Emmanuel Macron also announced that he would sign a bilateral military agreement with Ukraine next month during his upcoming visit to Kyiv.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Martin Fornusek
