"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.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Feb. 25, 2025. (Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Russian oligarchs could be eligible to apply for the "gold card," a $5 million path to U.S. residency and citizenship that U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Feb. 25.
Trump unveiled his "gold card," a scheme to attract "people of wealth" to the U.S. while speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Feb. 25.
"We're going to be putting a price on that card of about $5 million and that's going to give you green card privileges, plus it's going to be a route to citizenship," he said.
Trump said individuals who apply for the card would be heavily vetted, but did not name any countries that would be restricted from the program. When asked if Russian oligarchs would be eligible for the gold card, Trump said they could likely apply.
"Yeah, possibly. Hey, I know some Russian oligarchs that are very nice people," he said.
Trump said Russian oligarchs are "not quite as wealthy as they used to be," an apparent reference to Western sanctions, but did not object to the idea of such individuals applying for the gold card.
"I think they can afford $5 million," he said.
The Trump administration had previously taken measures to soften Washington's stance against Russian elites, shutting down a government task force that sanctioned Kremlin-linked oligarchs.
The White House has meanwhile cracked down on immigration, suspending multiple programs allowing migrants to enter the country, including an initiative for Ukrainians established by former U.S. President Joe Biden.
Trump has made increasingly friendly overtures to Moscow in recent days, including speaking with Russian President Vladimir Putin and arranging direct talks between U.S. and Russian officials without Ukraine's participation.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Abbey Fenbert
