"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.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen delivers an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France, on Sept. 13, 2023. Illustrative purposes only. (Stefan Wermuth/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen acknowledged on Dec. 13 Ukraine's efforts on the path toward EU membership, praising Kyiv's most recent reforms.
The statement comes only a day before the start of the two-day European Council summit, which is expected to address the launch of Ukraine's accession talks.
"Our enlargement report from last month showed clear progress on all steps that we had identified," von der Leyen said in the European Parliament.
After being granted candidacy status last year, Ukraine was presented with seven criteria it needs to complete to join the Union.
"We identified four reforms to fully complete all steps. And in this month between the enlargement report and now, Ukraine has continued to work on all of them."
As the head of the EU's executive arm pointed out, the Ukrainian parliament recently approved two anti-corruption laws, specifically on the staff of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and assets declaration.
The Ukrainian parliament approved last week a staff increase of the NABU, one of the country's chief anti-corruption agencies, from 700 to 1,000.
The country also recently reopened the assets declaration registry, requiring public officials to declare their property and assets to the public.
Von der Leyen further acknowledged the recent changes to Ukraine's national minorities law, which has become a point of dispute between Kyiv and Budapest.
Hungary claimed that Ukraine's 2017 language law amendments, which require at least 70% of education above fifth grade to be conducted in Ukrainian, are discriminatory against the Hungarian minority.
Kyiv has said that it does not intend to crack down on its minorities, only to ensure that every Ukrainian citizen has sufficient knowledge of Ukraine's official language.
Ukraine has made two updatesto the law based on recommendations of the Venice Commission, an advisory body of the Council of Europe.
"This law will allow greater use of minority languages in schools, in books, and in public events. Actually, national minority groups have already reacted positively to this law," von der Leyen said.
The Hungarian community in Ukraine recently appealed to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban to support the launch of Ukraine's accession talks, pointing out that the recent changes to the law "significantly reflect the interests of national minorities and enjoy our full support."
"If effectively implemented, these actions can fulfill three of our four outstanding recommendations," von der Leyen said.
To address the final recommendation, the Ukrainian government has also proposed a new law on lobbying to curb the power of oligarchs.
Ukraine was granted a candidate status along with Moldova in June last year. The European Commission recommended the launch of the accession talks in its November assessment.
The result of the upcoming talks remains uncertain as Hungary threatens to block the negotiations. Austria also voiced opposition to an "accelerated procedure" for Ukraine and Moldova's accession.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Anastasiia Malenko
