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.
This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller a daily press briefing at the State Department in Washington, U.S., May 22, 2023. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The U.S. will support President Volodymyr Zelensky if he decides to start negotiations with Moscow, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a Nov. 7 briefing.
"It's not something that it is appropriate for us or for any other country to push him into. And we would support him in any process to try and ensure a just and lasting peace, but that is ultimately his decision, not ours," Miller said.
Miller also stressed that, per the U.N. Charter, Ukraine has the right to maintain its borders, territorial integrity, and sovereignty.
He added that the U.S. has "seen no indication" that Putin plans to "drop his demand to continue to gobble up Ukrainian territory."
"I'm sure there's a negotiation that Putin would accept where he gets everything that he wants, and Ukraine gets nothing that it is entitled to under the law, but that is not a negotiation that President Zelensky has been interested in, nor should it be," he added.
On Jan. 20 next year, Donald Trump's administration will take office. Trump's allies argue that Ukraine is losing the war and, therefore, pushing for a settlement is morally right, according to reports.
The Financial Times (FT) reported on Oct. 28 that Trump planned to end the Russian war in Ukraine by freezing it in case of his victory in the U.S. presidential election.
Trump reportedly believes U.S. President Joe Biden should talk to Putin, as presidents did with Soviet leaders during the Cold War, and that NATO membership is not an option for Ukraine in the short term.
Earlier on Nov. 7, Putin congratulated Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, adding that he was ready "to cooperate."
Putin said Trump's campaign statements "deserve attention," referring to the Republican's aspiration to restore relations with Russia and help end the "Ukrainian crisis."
Trump has claimed he would end Russia's war within "24 hours" without elaborating on how he plans to achieve it. Some reports and statements from Trump's inner circle indicate this might entail pressuring Ukraine to cede territory or give up on its NATO aspirations.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Chris York
