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.
Peter Szijjarto's announcement came after Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) allegedly dismantled a Hungarian military intelligence network operating in Zakarpattia Oblast.
Romanian Army soldiers build a bomb shelter in the village of Plauru, Romania, on Sept. 12, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Mihai Barbu/AFP via Getty Images)
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and President Volodymyr Zelensky finalized a "civil protection coalition" on March 19, Zelensky told reporters during a press briefing.
Finland will seek out more international partners to partake in the coalition and assist Ukraine in building shelters in the face of regular Russian aerial attacks. Ministers from Finland and Ukraine signed the agreement on March 19.
Details of the coalition will be outlined in the coming days. No additional information was provided as to how much funding would go into establishing additional air raid shelters.
The announcement comes after Zelensky arrived on a state visit to Finland on March 18 with First Lady Olena Zelenska.
"Our nations understand the realities of being neighbors with Russia. Finland has a long-standing tradition of effective civil protection measures, and today we discussed how to expand this expertise," Zelensky said.
Zelensky noted Finland's leadership in guiding the coalition is "extremely important" amid uncertainty in Russia's commitment to a partial ceasefireon civilian and energy infrastructure.
Finland previously announced that it would provide 660 million euros ($691 million) in military aid for Ukraine on Feb. 26.
"Finland will continue to provide strong assistance. We stand with Ukraine and will remain by its side for as long as necessary," Stubb said.
Finland alongside other Nordic and Baltic nations urged the EU earlier in the day to provide concrete steps to accelerate Ukraine's accession to the bloc.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Kateryna Hodunova
