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.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer greets Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street on Oct. 10, 2024, in London, England. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)
The relationship between the U.K. and Ukraine has worsened since the Labour party took power in July, according to Ukrainian officials, the Guardian reported on Nov. 8.
Kyiv expressed frustration over Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s reluctance to supply additional long-range Storm Shadow missiles, with one senior official stating, “There’s no point in his coming as a tourist” unless Starmer commits to more military support.
Storm Shadow missiles have a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles), and have been used to hit Russian military targets in Crimea, a sovereign Ukrainian territory illegally annexed by Russia.
Ukrainian officials also noted that Starmer has postponed several planned visits, which has added to their disappointment.
Some Ukrainian leaders are worried about potential changes in U.S. support following Donald Trump’s recent election victory, as Russian troops advance in eastern Ukraine and the Kremlin intensifies missile bombardments.
While Starmer assured President Zelensky of Britain’s “unwavering” support in Budapest on Nov. 7, no concrete progress on missile supplies was achieved.
The two leaders met in Budapest while attending the fifth European Political Community Summit.
Starmer’s appointment of former national security adviser Jonathan Powell has further raised concerns in Kyiv, with some speculating it might signal increased pressure on Ukraine to negotiate with Russia.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Kateryna Denisova
