"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.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte holds the closing press conference at the NATO headquarters on the second day of the NATO Foreign Affairs Ministers' meeting on Dec. 4, 2024, in Brussels, Belgium.(Omar Havana/Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said the alliance agrees that Russia is a "long-term threat" to Euro-Atlantic security following his visit to the White House on April 24.
Rutte met with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington on April 24 amid intensified efforts by the U.S. to reach a peace deal to end Russia's war against Ukraine. Rutte was reportedly expected to use his visit to urge the U.S. not to pressure Ukraine into accepting a peace agreement that favors Moscow.
Rutte emphasized that all NATO members agree that Russia threatens regional security.
On April 24, Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu threatened that Russia could use "asymmetrical measures," including nuclear weapons, against Europe in response to "unfriendly actions."
"We all agree, in NATO, that Russia is the long-term threat to NATO territory, to the whole of the Euro-Atlantic territory," Rutte said.
Rutte recognized Ukraine's efforts to reach a peace deal and called for Moscow to make an effort to come to an agreement.
"Ukrainians are really playing ball, and I think the ball is clearly in the Russian court now."
After speaking to Trump, Rutte said "something is on the table for Russia" in a potential peace deal.
The U.S. could reportedly de jure recognize Russian control over Crimea and de facto recognize Moscow's illegal occupation of Luhansk, Donetsk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as part of a peace deal.
Ukraine would be prohibited from joining NATO, but would remain permitted to pursue EU membership. Sanctions imposed on Russia since 2014 would be lifted, and the U.S. and Russia would pursue deeper energy and economic cooperation.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine. Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Ukraine has already agreedto a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to theterms. So far, Moscow has refused.
On April 23, Zelensky reaffirmed that Ukraine insists on an "immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire."
"That was the proposal put forward by the United States on March 11 of this year — and it was absolutely reasonable," Zelensky said.
On April 23, U.S. Vice President JD Vance said that the U.S. presented a "very explicit proposal" to Ukraine and Russia on a peace deal.
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.
Chris York
