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.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
The publications' latest report covers the period of February 24, 2022 to May 8, 2025. Since it was last updated at the end of April, 2,857 additional Russian military personnel have been confirmed killed.
Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
Ukrainian soldiers in the destroyed city of Avdiivka on Oct. 26, 2023 in Avdiivka, Ukraine. (Vlada Liberova / Libkos via Getty Images)
Russian losses in Avdiivka amount to approximately 4,000, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Oct. 28 in a phone call with U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense reported.
The previous day, President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia had lost at least a brigade trying to capture the embattled city of Avdiivka, located in Donetsk Oblast, on the outskirts of the city of Donetsk.
A brigade in the Russian army can include between 2,000 and 8,000 personnel, according to open sources.
Russia has been intensifying its attacks against Avdiivka for several weeks. Moscow has reportedly thrown in extensive force in an effort to encircle the town, suffering heavy losses in manpower and equipment in the process.
Umerov also reiterated his appreciation for the continued support from the U.S. in his conversation with Austin.
Further provision of Army Tactical Missiles Systems (ATACMS) from the U.S. will help Ukraine strike further behind the front lines and hit Russian command posts, Umerov added.
Ukrainian forces began using ATACMS on Oct. 17, successfully deploying them in a strike against Russian airfields in occupied territories that destroyed nine helicopters and other military equipment, as well as killing dozens of soldiers.
National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksiy Danilov said on Oct. 24 that the long-range weapons "exceeded expectations."
Francis Farrell
