"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.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is received in Beijing by Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on April 16, 2024. (Michael Kappeler/picture alliance via Getty Images)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected discuss the war in Ukraine and the involvement of North Korean troops during the upcoming G20 Summit in Brazil next week, German media reported on Nov. 15.
Germany also announced on Nov. 15 that Scholz had held his first call in nearly two years with Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which he condemned the war and urged Putin to withdraw his troops.
The Pentagon confirmed on Nov. 13 that North Korean soldiers had begun engaging in combat alongside Russian troops in Kursk Oblast. The announcement followed reports that Russia is mustering a force of 50,000 soldiers, including North Korean troops, to launch a counteroffensive against Ukraine in the Kursk region.
The discussions come at a difficult time for Ukraine, as Russia holds the upper hand on the battlefield, and Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House may lead to a decreased U.S. involvement in the war.
Kyiv's European partners are increasingly preparing for a deal that could include Ukraine giving up on some of its territories in return for security guarantees, the Washington Post reported on Nov. 13, citing interviews with 10 current and former Western officials.
The Chinese and German leaders last met in April when Scholz visited China.
U.S. President Joe Biden is also expected to discuss with Xi China's support for Russia, as well as North Korean troops deployed in the war, on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Peru of the Nov. 16.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Kateryna Hodunova
