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.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Moscow and Washington discuss the potential resumption of Russian gas supplies to Europe, among other issues related to the peaceful settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov confirmed to the Russian state-run Interfax news agency.
EU flags in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 28, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The European Commission transferred 3.5 billion euros ($3.77 billion) to Ukraine on April 1 under the Ukraine Facility program, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on X.
Shmyhal said the funds would support Ukraine's macroeconomic stability, adding that total financial assistance under the Ukraine Facility has now reached 19.6 billion euros ($21.1 billion).
"Ukraine stays firmly on the path to sustainable peace, recovery, and a European future. Grateful to the EU for strategic trust and partnership," he wrote.
First Deputy Prime Minister and Economic Development Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the latest tranche includes 3.1 billion euros ($3.3 billion) in soft loans and 400 million euros ($431 million) in grants, which will help cover priority budget expenditures.
The funding followed Ukraine's fulfillment of all requirements under the Ukraine Plan for the fourth quarter of 2024. The Plan outlines Kyiv's strategy for recovery, reconstruction, and modernization, as well as a reform timetable tied to Ukraine's EU accession process.
To qualify for the latest disbursement, Kyiv implemented 13 key reforms, including measures to harmonize Ukrainian legislation with European norms, strengthen digital transformation, and strengthen the independence of the energy regulator.
The EU approved the four-year Ukraine Facility in February 2024, allocating 33 billion euros ($36 billion) in loans and 17 billion euros ($18 billion) in grants to support Ukraine's economy and post-war reconstruction efforts.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Kateryna Hodunova
