Key developments on May 19:
- After call with Trump, Putin still refuses full ceasefire, again cites Russia's 'root causes' of war in Ukraine
- Zelensky dismisses Putin's demand to withdraw troops from 4 Ukrainian regions
- Commander of Ukraine's 59th Brigade replaced, media reports
- Ukrainian drones destroy Russian radar, supply depots on Black Sea gas platforms, SBU says
Russia continues to refuse to agree to a full ceasefire in Ukraine, with President Vladimir Putin instead prepared to negotiate a "memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty," he said following a two-hour call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19.
Putin said Trump had "expressed his position regarding the cessation of hostilities, a ceasefire," but the Russian president insisted the "most effective paths towards peace" were still to be determined.
A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent on May 19 that Ukraine is still pushing for a full, unconditional ceasefire in talks this week with the U.S. president — the key demand pushed by Trump and accepted by Ukraine back in March.
"Agreed with the president of the U.S. that Russia will propose and is ready to work with the Ukrainian side on a memorandum on a possible future peace treaty," Putin told reporters after the call.
"It might define a number of positions, for example, the principles of settlement, the timing of a possible peace agreement, and so on, including a possible ceasefire for a certain period of time if the relevant agreements are reached."
Russia's position in the negotiations remains unchanged and requires "eliminating the root causes" of the war, Putin added.
Following the call, the U.S. president said on Truth Social that Russia and Ukraine will "immediately start" negotiations toward a ceasefire and an end to the war.
"The conditions for that will be negotiated between the two parties, as it can only be, because they know details of a negotiation that nobody else would be aware of," Trump wrote.
Trump also claimed that Russia is interested in engaging in large-scale trade with the United States once the war ends.
"There is a tremendous opportunity for Russia to create massive amounts of jobs and wealth. Its potential is unlimited. Likewise, Ukraine can be a great beneficiary on trade, in the process of rebuilding its country," he said.
The U.S. president said he had informed President Volodymyr Zelensky about the call with Vladimir Putin, as well as several European leaders.
A source in the President's Office told the Kyiv Independent that Trump and Zelensky spoke twice on the day — once before the scheduled call with Putin and again after it.
The second conversation lasted for over an hour and included Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.
Putin's foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, told Russian journalists that the presidents spoke for two hours and five minutes, with no mention of a ceasefire deadline.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov described the phone call between the two presidents as "productive" and highlighted Trump's "neutral" stance on the war.
Speaking to reporters, Peskov said, "Trump's position is neutral and he does deal with settlement issues, while the position of European politicians is openly pro-Ukrainian."
Kate Tsurkan
Zelensky dismisses Putin's demand to withdraw troops from 4 Ukrainian regions
Ukraine will not withdraw troops from the territories it controls, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 19, rejecting Russian demands put forward by the country's delegation in Istanbul.
"It's our land, we won't withdraw our troops from our territory," Zelensky said, responding to a question by the Kyiv Independent. "This is a constitutional duty of mine, of our military ... No ultimatums, no one will surrender their lands, their people, their homes."
Zelensky's statement follows inconclusive negotiations in Istanbul on May 16, where Moscow sent a delegation of low-level officials and reiterated sweeping territorial demands, including Kyiv's acceptance of the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.
A source in the Ukrainian President's Office briefed on the talks told the Kyiv Independent on May 16 that Moscow's delegation insisted that Ukraine retreat from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, despite Russia not controlling any of them in their entirety.
"It means that they (Russia) don't want peace," Zelensky said. "If they demand what they know we won't agree to. Because they clearly understand that Ukraine will not do it," he added.
Russia illegally declared the annexation of the four oblasts following sham referenda in late 2022, incorporating them into its constitution — a move that holds no weight internationally.
Moscow continues to refuse to agree to a full ceasefire. During a call with Trump, Putin said he is prepared to negotiate a "memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty."
Russia's maximalist position in the negotiations remains unchanged and demands "eliminating the root causes" of the war, the Russian president added.
Trump's approach to negotiations frustrates European allies, many of whom sought his support for a joint U.S.–EU ultimatum demanding an unconditional ceasefire starting May 12 and tougher sanctions on Moscow.
Despite Russia's refusal, no new U.S. sanctions have been imposed so far.
Chris York
Commander of Ukraine's 59th Brigade replaced, media reports
Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Shevchuk was dismissed as the commander of the 59th Brigade of the Unmanned Systems Forces and replaced by Colonel Oleksandr Sak, Ukrainska Pravda reported on May 18, citing its sources in the brigade.
The 59th Brigade, deployed in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, underwent the emergency leadership change between May 15 and 16 on the order of Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, one military source told the news outlet.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The brigade's new reported commander, Sak, previously led the 53rd Mechanized Brigade fighting in the Kreminna area.
The reasons behind the move have not been disclosed, though Ukrainska Pravda's sources suggested it could be linked to the worsening situation in the Pokrovsk sector.
The mining town has been the epicenter of some of the heaviest battles in Donetsk Oblast as Russian forces have been trying to capture the strategically important settlement for months.
Syrskyi claimed earlier in May that Ukraine has managed to stabilize the situation in the sector and seize the initiative in some areas.
The 59th Brigade, previously named the 59th Motorized Rifle Brigade, came under Syrskyi's scrutiny in July 2024 after Azovstal defender and medic Kateryna Polishchuk, known under the nickname Ptashka ("bird"), called for an investigation into the unit over Shevchuk's alleged misconduct.
The unit was reorganized into an assault brigade under the Unmanned Systems Forces in January 2025, but retained its commander at the time.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
Ukrainian drones destroy Russian radar, supply depots on Black Sea gas platforms, SBU says
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has destroyed a Russian radar system and warehouse facilities located on gas production platforms in the Black Sea using a coordinated drone strike, the agency said on May 19.
According to the SBU, the operation was carried out by the 13th Main Directorate of its Military Counter-Intelligence Department. The mission involved a combination of aerial and naval drones targeting Russian military infrastructure placed on Ukrainian offshore drilling rigs.
An aerial drone allegedly first struck one of the platforms, followed by a naval drone that delivered a secondary hit. The attack destroyed a Russian "Neva" radar system used for monitoring aerial and surface activity, as well as supply storage and living quarters on the platform, the SBU reported.
"In a single special operation, our specialists used two types of drones that proved highly effective when working in tandem," the agency said.
The SBU noted that the attack is part of an ongoing effort to clear the Black Sea of Russian military presence and equipment. Previous SBU naval drone operations have reportedly targeted the Crimean Bridge and 11 Russian warships.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
The SBU traditionally uses its Sea Baby drones for operations in the Black Sea, while military intelligence (HUR) deploys the Magura naval drones.
In early May, Ukraine shot down two Russian Su-30 fighter jets using air-to-air missiles fired from Magura-7 naval drones and two Russian Mi-8 helicopters in December 2024.
The Magura drones also sank the Russian patrol ship Sergey Kotov on March 5, 2024, and the landing ship Caesar Kunikov on Feb. 14, 2024.
As of 2024, Ukraine was reportedly able to destroy or disable one-third of the Russian Black Sea Fleet in a drone and missile campaign, despite Moscow's significant advantage in sheer naval power.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn
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