"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"I have great hope that an agreement for a ceasefire in Ukraine will be reached this weekend," German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 9, shortly before traveling to Kyiv alongside the leaders of France, Poland, and the U.K.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will arrive in Kyiv early on May 10.
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.
Polish President Andrzej Duda delivers an address at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow. March 24, 2023. (Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Polish President Andrezj Duda said Ukraine cannot win the war without U.S. support in a press briefing following a meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump, Polish media RMF 24 reported on Feb. 23.
Duda and Trumpmet at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland on Feb. 22. After the conversation, the Polish leader told reporters that Trump is determined to end Russia’s war on Ukraine adding that Russia cannot be allowed to win.
However, he noted that the question remains of how to end the bloodshed. In his opinion, "without American support, Ukraine will not survive this war” and that the war “has to be ended somehow.”
According to Duda, a just and sustainable peace is needed to make sure "the war will not return and that Russia will not attack anyone again."
The Polish President discussed the peace negotiations with Trump, reminding him that Russian President Vladimir Putin is a former KGB officer. The White House said that a deal with Russia could be expected in the coming week.
Duda, who has served as President since 2015, previously said in November that he does not believe Trump will allow Russia to win. However, Ukraine is growing anxious that U.S. military support will end as Trump negotiates with Russia.
Tensions have grown between the U.S. and Europe over peace negotiations, as Washington held direct talks with Russia in Saudi Arabia on Feb. 18 without Ukraine and Europe. European allies, including the U.K., have stressed that Ukraine needs to be directly involved in the negotiations.
The next round of talks between the U.S. and Russia is planned for Feb. 25, in Riyadh.
Duda’s comments echo that of other European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who stressed that only a U.S. security guarantee can deter Russia from launching further aggression. He called for the U.S. to support a peacekeeping force in Europe.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Dominic Culverwell
