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.
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya attends a U.N. Security Council meeting on Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine at the UN headquarters in New York City on June 23, 2023. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
A meeting of the U.N. Security Council on June 28 will see the U.S. confront Russia over violating a North Korea arms embargo, Deputy U.S. Ambassador to UN Robert Wood told Reuters.
For nearly two decades, Russia, as part of the U.N. Security Council, supported the sanctions, aimed at restraining its nuclear ambitions.
But facing reduced military stocks and production capacity simultaneously hampered by its own Western sanctions since the launch of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has increasingly turned to North Korea.
New internal Russian trade data obtained by the Washington Post showed Russia may have received 1.6 million artillery shells from North Korea over the course of six months, and the U.S. has previously accused Moscow of firing North Korean ballistic missiles at Ukraine.
The relationship between Moscow and Pyongyang was cemented last week when Russian President Vladimir Putin met with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un to sign a mutual defense agreement between the two countries.
Speaking to Reuters, Wood said Washington will confront Russia over the issue at the U.N. Security Council meeting on June 28.
"This should be of great concern to the entire global community," Wood said, accusing Russia of "in essence siding with a rogue state to violate countless U.N. Security Council resolutions."
"This is unprecedented, and we need to call it out for what it is," he said.
Wood said the issue would also be raised with China to see what Beijing "has to say about this growing military cooperation between DPRK and Russia."
"They cannot view this as a positive development," he added.
On June 19, the two signed a mutual defense agreement during the first in decades visit of Putin to North Korea.
The pact declared in part: "In case any one of the two sides is put in a state of war by an armed invasion from an individual state or several states, the other side shall provide military and other assistance with all means in its possession without delay."
The agreement also covers trade, investment, political and security cooperation.
Chris York
