"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.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
Representatives of the Ukrainian government and German company NOTUS energy sign a memorandum of cooperation on the construction of a wind power plant in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone on Sept. 11, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources/Telegram)
The Ukrainian government and the German company NOTUS energy have agreed to jointly build a wind power plant in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone, capable of providing electricity to almost 1,000 households.
All sides signed a memorandum of cooperation on the construction project on Sept. 11, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources.
Chornobyl Exclusion Zone encompasses a 30-kilometer radius surrounding the Chornobyl Nuclear Power Plant, which lies around 130 kilometers north of Kyiv. Most of the exclusion zone has remained abandoned since the Chornobyl nuclear disaster occurred in 1986.
The project will bring investments and new jobs, contributing to Ukraine's energy independence, the development of green technologies, and the state's enrichment, the ministry wrote.
"Even before the full-scale invasion, we had strategic plans to transform the Chornobyl zone into a recovery zone. The war hasn't changed them, but temporarily suspended," said Deputy Ecology Minister Oleksandr Krasnolutskyi.
"The partnership with NOTUS energy is a positive example for international investors that the Exclusion Zone is an attractive and promising area for the development of renewable energy and other environmentally friendly technical solutions."
The announcement came amid German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock's fourth visit to Kyiv since the beginning of Russia's all-out war against Ukraine.
"One focus of Foreign Minister Baerbock's visit will therefore be on the measures being taken by Ukraine to ensure and protect (energy) supplies to the population, not least in the upcoming winter," Germany's Foreign Ministry wrote upon Baerbock's arrival.
"In the midst of the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, the area affected by the nuclear accident almost forty years ago may thus become a symbol of clean, climate-friendly energy, providing Kyiv with green electricity," the ministry added about the future wind farm.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Haley Zehrung
