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.
Eurofighter Typhoon jets from the UK's Royal Air Force land at Murted Air Base in Ankara for inspection by Turkish officials on December 18, 2024 (Turkish Defense Ministry / Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)
British military leaders have discussed deploying Royal Air Force (RAF) fighter jets to Ukraine as part of a potential peace agreement, the Telegraph reported on March 20, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
According to the report, the discussion took place at the Permanent Joint Headquarters, which oversees all of Britain's overseas military operations.
The plan is part of a broader "coalition of the willing" initiative led by the U.K. and France, aimed at providing security guarantees to Kyiv.
The peacekeeping initiative was first introduced by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer during a March 2 summit in London, where leaders from European nations and Canada discussed military support for Ukraine.
Starmer participated in additional talks at Northwood Headquarters, hosted by Lt. Gen. Nick Perry, the chief of joint operations, alongside representatives from over 30 countries.
A senior RAF source told the Telegraph that providing "overhead cover" was a key topic of discussion, particularly in scenarios where British troops might enter Ukraine.
The RAF could reportedly deploy either Typhoon or U.S.-made F-35 fighter jets to conduct air patrols, given their advanced air-to-air capabilities.
Starmer has pledged that British forces would be involved in securing a peace deal if U.S. President Donald Trump successfully negotiates one with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Washington has instead backed the idea of European-led peacekeeping forces monitoring a potential ceasefire but has not offered concrete security guarantees to Ukraine.
More than 30 countries have expressed willingness to contribute to a peacekeeping force, with the U.K. and France leading the initiative.
Canada and Australia have also indicated their openness to participating, according to Starmer's office.Trump previously claimed on Feb. 24 that Putin would allow European peacekeepers to operate in Ukraine as part of a settlement, though Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov publicly rejected the idea.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
