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.
This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to 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 Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
President Of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi and President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa during joint press conference on June 16, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo credit: Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa presented a ten-point peace plan of the African Peace Mission during his visit to Kyiv, Ukrinform wrote on June 16.
As the main points, Ramaphosa emphasized that the Russo-Ukrainian War must be settled, and peace has to be achieved through diplomatic means as soon as possible. Ukraine's President Zelensky later responded, however, that talks with Moscow are possible only after a full withdrawal of Russian troops.
The third step, which the South African president listed at a joint press conference with Zelensky, was the de-escalation of hostilities.
As the fourth step, the sovereignty of states and peoples must be respected in accordance with the UN Charter.
The fifth component included security guarantees, the sixth was ensuring the export of grain and fertilizers, and the seventh was humanitarian assistance to the war's victims.
The eighth step was the exchange of prisoners and captives, including children.
The ninth named component was post-war reconstruction and the final tenth step was for Zelensky to better and further interact with the African countries.
The African peace delegation arrived in Kyiv on June 16. During the group's visit to Bucha, Russian forces launched 12 missiles against the capital and Kyiv Oblast, injuring four people.
A group of African countries which now includes South Africa, Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of Congo, Uganda, Zambia, and the Comoros announced the plan to visit Kyiv and Moscow for peace talks on May 22.
The leaders indicated they wish to "initiate a peace process" but also also agree on increasing Ukrainian grain exports and easing shipments of Russian fertilizers.
The delegation is scheduled to arrive in Russia's Saint Petersburg for talks with Vladimir Putin on June 17. According to Reuters, the proposals for Moscow will include withdrawing troops from Ukraine and removing nuclear weapons from Belarus.
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.
Martin Fornusek
