The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
The government has approved "reform roadmaps in the rule of law, public administration, and democratic institutions, as well as Ukraine’s negotiation position," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
Artillerymen of the 39th Coastal Defense Brigade fire from the 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzer at Russian positions near the villages of Krynky and Kozachi Laheri on the occupied left bank on March 23, 2025 in Kherson Oblast, Ukraine. (Ivan Antypenko/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
These reported preparations indicate Moscow's efforts to escalate the war despite expected ceasefire talks this week and calls by Kyiv and its partners for an unconditional 30-day truce.
Russia has rejected ceasefire proposals unless accompanied by a halt on military aid for Ukraine and continues ground assaults along the front and long-range strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure.
Some 163 clashes were recorded at the front over the past day, the Ukrainian military reported on the morning of May 14. The DeepState monitoring group said that Russian forces recently advanced in Toretsk and near Pokrovsk in Donetsk Oblast.
Kyiv has been warning about a major Russian spring offensive aimed at seizing as much territory as possible to strengthen its position in potential negotiations. Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said last month this campaign had "effectively already begun" with the intensification of Russian assaults.
President Volodymyr Zelensky is traveling to Turkey this week and has invited Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss a ceasefire in what would be their first meeting since 2019.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who pledged to broker a peace deal between Moscow and Kyiv, voiced optimism about the potential talks and dispatched Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoys Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg to attend.
The Kremlin has not confirmed whether Putin will attend the talks himself, but the Washington Post reported that Moscow will be represented by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said on May 13 that if Putin does not come to Turkey, it will be "the last signal" that Russia "does not want to end the war and is not ready for any negotiations."
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Chris York
