The United States embassy in Kyiv on May 9 issued a warning that Russia could launch "a potentially significant" attack in the coming days, despite Putin's self-declared Victory Day "truce."
The sanctioned oil tankers have transported over $24 billion in cargo since 2024, according to Downing Street. The U.K. has now sanctioned more shadow fleet vessels than any other country.
Washington and its partners are considering additional sanctions if the parties do not observe a ceasefire, with political and technical negotiations between Europe and the U.S. intensifying since last week, Reuters' source said.
The Kyiv Independent’s contributor Ignatius Ivlev-Yorke spent a day with a mobile team from the State Emergency Service in Nikopol in the south of Ukraine as they responded to relentless drone, artillery, and mortar strikes from Russian forces just across the Dnipro River. Nikopol is located across from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk speaks at a press conference on Nov. 13, 2024. (Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Feb. 20 proposed a three-point plan to strengthen Ukraine in its fight against Russia's full-scale invasion and enhance European security.
Tusk currently represents the rotating presidency of the EU Council. European leaders have called for increased support for Ukraine and are rethinking security in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threats to stop supporting security on the continent.
Tusk renewed calls to finance Ukraine aid with funds from Russian frozen assets, the majority of which are held in EU banks.
"Let's finance our aid for Ukraine from the Russian frozen assets," he said in a social media post on Feb. 20.
"Let's strengthen air policing, the Baltic sentry, and the EU borders with Russia. Let's swiftly adopt new fiscal measures to immediately fund security and defense."
Tusk's comments come as a shift in U.S. foreign policy towards Ukraine is pushing European officials to consider stepping up support for Kyiv and further toughening their stance on Russia.
The U.S. ended a years-long policy of isolating Moscow when American and Russian officials sat down in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18 for preliminary talks about ending the war in Ukraine. Neither Ukraine nor Europe were represented at the talks.
Trump previously spoke directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin in a phone call on Feb. 12, holding a separate phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky the same day. The U.S. President has vowed to bring about a speedy end to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"We have no doubt that the threat to Europe is Vladimir Putin's Russia, Trump's phone call to Putin was a mistake," Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said on Feb. 16.
The EU introduced a 16th sanctions package against Russia on Feb. 19, targeting Russian aluminum and oil exports in response to Moscow's continued armed aggression against Ukraine.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
