Help us find 5,000 new members. Bring one friend.

Share your personal link and make us stronger in 2027.

Politics

Exclusive: Trump envoy's push to reopen Lithuanian ports to Belarus exposes rift in Washington
Politics

Exclusive: Trump envoy's push to reopen Lithuanian ports to Belarus exposes rift in Washington

by Jimmy Rushton

The Trump administration's push to reopen Lithuanian ports to Belarusian potash exports is being driven by U.S. envoy John Coale and does not reflect a broader policy shift in Washington, multiple U.S. and European officials told the Kyiv Independent. The initiative has little support within the administration, with U.S. officials describing it as Coale acting independently rather than advancing an agreed government policy. Lithuania, a staunch supporter of Ukraine, also has no plans to change

News Feed

The Kyiv Independent turns 5, makes 5 promises for the year ahead

The Kyiv Independent is celebrating its fifth anniversary by launching its biggest-ever membership campaign, with a goal of welcoming 5,000 new members worldwide to strengthen its journalism and support ambitious new initiatives in 2027.

Collage of photos of the Kyiv Independent team

Exclusive: Zelensky’s ex-chief of staff Yermak ran 'troubling' back-channel with Trump's Susie Wiles

U.S. President Donald Trump's former Chief of Staff Susie Wiles had a "troubling" back-channel with Andriy Yermak, the controversial former head of the President’s Office, the Kyiv Independent can exclusively reveal. The back-channel began after Trump's inauguration in January 2025, when President Volodymyr Zelensky tasked Yermak with establishing contacts with high-level American officials. Yermak and Wiles spoke frequently in the following months, two Ukrainian officials told the Kyiv Indepe

Andriy Yermak poses for a portrait in Kyiv, Ukraine, on April 25, 2024.
News Feed