"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.
U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth speaks to reporters on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
The United States has a key message for the upcoming Ramstein-format summit in Brussels: end the war in Ukraine "as quickly as possible," U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said on Feb. 7.
The Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) will convene on Feb. 12, with the U.K. replacing the U.S. as host for the first time. It is also the group's first meeting since U.S. President Donald Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Hegseth will attend the UDCG summit as part of a tour of Germany, Belgium, and Poland, according to a Pentagon statement published Feb. 7.
At the summit, the defense secretary aims to "reiterate President Trump's commitment for a diplomatic end to the war in Ukraine as quickly as possible," the statement read.
"He will also highlight the need for increased European leadership on security assistance to Ukraine."
The UDCG includes more than 50 countries, including all 32 NATO members. Formed in April 2022, the coalition coordinates international military aid to Ukraine, typically meeting at the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany.
The transition of power in Washington and expected changes in U.S. policy on Ukraine cast doubt on the future of the Ramstein summit. Trump has said he wants Europe to play a greater role in Ukraine's defense, and some of Ramstein's former functions have already been transferred to NATO control.
Trump has also signaled ambivalence regarding ongoing U.S. military aid to Kyiv and has repeatedly promised to secure a swift "deal" to end the war. Previously allocated weapons packages from the U.S. are about to run out, and neither Trump nor Congress have approved new arms shipments to Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said on Feb. 7 that the upcoming Ramstein summit will yield important decisions on air defense systems and investment in Ukraine's defense industry.
Hegseth, a military veteran and former Fox News host, was confirmed as defense secretary on Jan. 24, after U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance cast a tie-breaking vote to secure his appointment. Hegseth was among Trump's most controversial nominees, both due to inexperience and multiple allegations of professional misconduct and sexual assault.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
