"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.
A Ukrainian serviceman of the military intelligence agency launches a naval drone Magura during a demonstration for journalists on April 13, 2024, in Ukraine. (Vitalii Nosach / Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Lithuania is considering launching domestic production of naval drones in cooperation with Ukraine, Lithuanian Deputy Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene told Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi on May 6.
Under a “1+1” model, Lithuania would fund the production of two drones, keeping one for its own defense and sending the other to Ukraine. The country is particularly interested in Ukraine's Magura-class sea drones, which have been used with success against Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
"Magura, in my view, is an excellent military product," Sakaliene said.
The proposed initiative would involve shared weapons production on Lithuanian soil, with Vilnius covering the costs.
"That is, we pay for the production of two pieces of equipment, one of which is transferred to Ukraine, and the other remains in Lithuania, but we cover the cost for both," she explained.
Earlier this year, Lithuania allocated 20 million euros ($21 million) in purchasing weapons for Kyiv from Ukrainian producers. Sakaliene emphasized that Lithuania sees great potential in closer cooperation on technologies like missile and naval drones.
"We believe that cooperation in certain areas related to missile drones, sea drones, and other technologies is truly very promising," she said.
The Magura drones are small, unmanned surface vessels developed by Ukraine, and have become a key asset in the country's naval warfare. Though small in size, they've proven effective against larger warships, helping keep Russia’s Black Sea Fleet pinned in port.
On May 2, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) used Magura-7 sea drones equipped with air-to-air missiles to shoot down two Russian Su-30 fighter jets near the port city of Novorossiysk, HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov told The War Zone on May 3.
The operation was the first time in history that fighter jets have been downed by unmanned naval drones.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Tim Zadorozhnyy
