The Kyiv Independent [unofficial]
Russia’s war against Ukraine
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, French President Emmanuel Macron, and President Volodymyr Zelensky visit St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv after a meeting of the so-called “coalition of the willing” on May 10, 2025. (Stefan Rousseau/WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Ukraine, European allies demand Russia agree to 30-day ceasefire starting May 12. “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.
Putin rejects ceasefire, calls on Ukraine to begin direct talks in Istanbul next week as Victory Day ‘truce’ ends. “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.
Kyiv, European allies pledge harsher sanctions on Russia’s banking, energy sectors if Moscow refuses ceasefire. 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.
Zelensky, European leaders hold ‘productive’ call with Trump about peace talks. “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.
Russia may close airspace over Kapustin Yar, site of Oreshnik ballistic missile launch, on May 12-13. A notice about the airspace closure was published on the U.S. Defense Department’s NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) website on May 10, as cited by Ukrainian defense news outlet Militarnyi.
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Trump ‘frustrated’ by inability to broker end to Russia’s war against Ukraine, WSJ reports. 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.
Russia to ‘think about’ ceasefire, ‘resistant’ to pressure, Peskov says. 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.
Zelensky says demilitarized zone idea ‘dead,’ European Pravda reports. 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.
Witkoff uses Kremlin translators in meetings with Putin, NBC reports. “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.”
6 senior National Guard officials suspended from posts amid corruption probe. A Ukrainian media outlet 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.
Read our exclusives
Why Ukraine isn’t building its own version of US Patriot
Ukraine’s ability to shoot down inbound Russian drones and cruise missiles has grown enormously since Russia’s full-scale invasion. But despite ingenuity in domestic weapon production over the past three years, Ukraine has no homemade equivalent to the Patriot, a U.S.-made surface-to-air missile system whose latest iterations are uniquely good at stopping ballistic missiles in flight.
Photo: Jens Buttner / Picture Alliance via Getty Images
What will the new pope mean for Ukraine?
“It remains to be seen what it means for a pope from the U.S., in the world of the crisis of liberal and constitutional democracies today, to speak as the head of the Catholic Church and the Holy See to Russia and Ukraine, to Israel and the Arab world, to China and the two Koreas,” said Massimo Faggioli, a professor of historical theology at Villanova University.
Photo: Vatican Media via Vatican Pool / Getty Images
Most Russians ‘don’t care about the war,’ says journalist Ekaterina Barabash after escaping Russia
“Most people in Russia aren’t willing to look for the truth,” Barabash told the Kyiv Independent from France. “They’ve always been taught that Ukraine is just a part of Russia. But this belief is a kind of poison. It’s something that every Russian grows up with, often without even realizing it.”
Photo: Facebook
Human cost of Russia’s war
General Staff: Russia has lost 964,580 troops in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022. The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
International response
EU officially endorses unconditional 30-day ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia. “As in the past, it is now for Russia to show its willingness to achieve peace,” the EU’s statement reads.
‘We’ll judge Russia by actions, not words’ — US State Department spox calls for ceasefire. U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for “concrete proposals from both sides” in order for Washington to “move forward” in peace negotiations.
US approves transfer of 125 long-range missiles, 100 Patriots from Germany to Ukraine, NYT reports. The American-made weapons cannot be exported, even by a country that owns them, without approval from the U.S. government.
Iran to send Russia short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reports. 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.
Kim Jong Un says North Korea’s involvement in Russia’s war ‘part of sacred mission.’ “Our involvement in the war was justifiable, and this belongs to our sovereign rights,” North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un said. “I regard this as part of the sacred mission we must execute for our brothers and comrades-in-arms.”
In 2022 interview, pope condemns Russia’s ‘imperialist’ invasion of Ukraine. 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.”
Opinions and insights
Lula da Silva’s visit to Russia is hypocritical, undermining everything he allegedly stands for
“Brazilian leadership proudly shows its support for democracy at home, yet conveniently forgets that Putin destroyed Russian democracy and murdered those who had the courage to stand up to him,” writes Uria Fancelli, a political commentator for CNN Portugal.
Photo: Sergey Bobylev/RIA Novosti/Pool/Anadolu via Getty Images
In other news
India, Pakistan agree to ‘full and immediate ceasefire,’ Trump says. The announcement follows mounting fears that the two nuclear-armed countries were on the brink of engaging in another full-scale war.
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Today’s Ukraine Daily was brought to you by Abbey Fenbert, Lucy Pakhnyuk, Toma Istomina, Kate Tsurkan, and Dmytro Basmat.
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