The new tranche brings total recent EU defense support for Ukraine to 3.3 billion euros ($3.6 billion), marking a significant expansion of European efforts to boost Kyiv's defense industry.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, and U.K. Minister of State for Trade Policy Greg Hands sign the agreement in Kyiv. (UK Embassy Kyiv)
The British government and BAE Systems, the U.K.'s largest arms company, announced on April 10 that they had signed agreements to support Ukraine's defense industry.
The U.K. government signed an agreement with the Ukrainian government to encourage defense industry cooperation and support joint projects between British and Ukrainian companies.
The signing took place in Kyiv during the U.K's largest-ever trade mission to Ukraine. A delegation of 29 British defense companies was present at the signing, together with representatives from 70 Ukrainian defense companies.
During the trade mission, BAE Systems signed an agreement with the U.K. government for the maintenance, repair, and overhaul services in Ukraine of the L119 light gun, a 105 mm howitzer.
The agreement provides a framework for other BAE-produced weapons to be repaired and maintained in Ukraine, Gabby Costigan, BAE Systems' group managing director for business development, told reporters in Kyiv.
As well as the L119, the Ukrainian Armed Forces currently use 17 different types of weapons and equipment made by BAE Systems, such as Challenger tanks and Bradley armored vehicles.
"Our ambition is that in the future, we will be able to repair as much of that capability here in the country," Costigan said.
The contract "will make a difference to the speed with which we are able to keep Ukrainian military equipment available for the fight," the U.K.'s National Armaments Director Andy Start said.
BAE Systems already opened an office in Ukraine in August 2023 to help launch the domestic production of weapons like the L119 in partnership with Ukrainian manufacturers.
The British company's plans to repair, and ultimately produce weapons in Ukraine follow German company Rheinmetall, which announced in 2023 that it plans to repair and build armored vehicles in Ukraine jointly with Ukrainian Defense Industry (Ukroboronprom).
U.K. and Ukraine sign a new agreement
U.K. Minister of State for Trade Policy Greg Hands signed the U.K.-Ukraine agreement with Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin in Kyiv.
The agreement follows the bilateral long-term security agreement signed by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and President Volodymyr Zelensky in January, based on a pledge made by the Group of Seven (G7) in July 2023 to provide long-term support to Ukraine.
Defense industry cooperation was one of the themes mentioned in the text of the security agreement between the U.K. and Ukraine.
The signing of the new agreement "will allow the expansion of cooperation and development of the defense industry for Great Britain and Ukraine," paving the way for Ukraine "to become a full-fledged member of NATO and the European family," Kamyshin said.
Kamyshin told the Kyiv Independent in February that Ukraine's defense industry is comprised of 500 enterprises dedicated to designing, repairing, manufacturing, and maintaining military equipment.
Around 100 of the enterprises are state-owned, 400 are private, and about 300,000 Ukrainians are engaged in the work, Kamyshin said.
U.K. support to Ukraine
The U.K. has been "at the forefront of providing military and non-military assistance to Ukraine, not just over the last two years but also over the last 10 years since the illegal occupation of Crimea," Hands told reporters.
This new agreement will benefit Ukraine not just on the battlefield, but also its economy, Hands said.
"Our trade missions, alongside this signing, are testament to the UK’s integral role in boosting Ukraine’s war-time economy and facilitating their long-term recovery," Hands said.
The U.K. has provided almost 12 billion pounds ($15 billion) worth of support to Ukraine, primarily by providing existing defense equipment from its own inventory and buying supplies from the domestic defense industry.
The British government has also funded the training and equipping of 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers.
"We now recognize we need to step up to partnering with the Ukrainian defense industry to position Ukraine's defense industry to be better able to respond at speed and to support the Ukrainian economy, and to create long-lasting strategic partnerships," Start said.
"Ukraine is now at the bleeding edge of technology in a whole series of areas," Start said.
"There is an opportunity for Ukraine to share that experience with the world-class capability of the U.K. defense industry and to create a stronger partnership."
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Rachel Amran
