"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"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.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
The entrance to the Russian city of Belgorod, some 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, on May 28, 2023. (Olga Maltseva / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces have advanced three to four kilometers into Russia’s Belgorod region, engaging in battles with Russian troops, according to Russian military bloggers and independent analysts.
Military expert Emil Kastehelmi of the Black Bird Group told Reuters Ukrainian troops had penetrated Russia’s first line of defense, though he noted that their ability to launch a major breakthrough remains unlikely.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Open-source intelligence suggests Kyiv's forces are still present in some parts of the region, though neither Ukraine nor Russia has officially confirmed the incursion.
Belgorod Oblast is regularly used by Russia to launch strikes against Ukrainian territory. At the same time, Belgorod region authorities have repeatedly accused Ukraine of launching attacks against the region and Belgorod city throughout the full-scale war.
The Ukrainian operation appears to be aimed at diverting Russian forces as Moscow intensifies efforts to push Kyiv’s troops out of Kursk, where Ukraine has maintained control of nearly 80 square kilometers since last August.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukrainian forces had taken "certain steps" inside Russia outside of Kursk, though he did not provide details. He described the operation as an effort to "reduce the accumulation" of Russian forces threatening Ukrainian positions.
Reports from Russian military bloggers describe heavy fighting in the settlements of Popovka and Demidovka, with both sides deploying drones and artillery. The Rybar Telegram channel claimed Russian forces had moved reinforcements from Goptarovka in Kursk to Belgorod, reinforcing defensive positions.
In Kursk, Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed its forces had recaptured the village of Gogolevka, one of the last settlements Ukraine controlled after its offensive last year.
However, Ukraine’s General Staff reported that its forces had repelled 18 Russian attacks in the region over the past day. Open-source analysis from Deep State, a Ukrainian military blog, indicated that Ukraine still holds some territory in Gogolevka and has not been fully pushed out of the region.
Belgorod Oblast is located in western Russia and borders Ukraine's Sumy, Kharkiv, and Luhansk oblasts in the south and west.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Andrea Januta
