"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.
Illustrative purposes only: A Merlin helicopter lands on the deck of Royal Navy warship HMS Albion during Joint Viking training exercises with NATO forces southeast of Harstad, in Vagsjord, Norway, on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. (Danielle Bochove/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The U.K. and Norway on Feb. 20 launched discussions on a major defense pact to deter possible Russian aggression in the Arctic region.
The agreement, designed to bolster British and Norwegian armed forces while deepening industrial cooperation, comes amid mounting tensions between Russia and NATO and concerns about the U.S.'s commitment to Europe's security.
"With Russia continuing to militarise the High North and Arctic, this new agreement will boost security for the U.K., Norway, and our NATO allies, bolstering defenses on NATO’s northern flank," the British government said in a statement.
The discussions also concern the protection of undersea infrastructure after several cables were damaged in recent months with suspected Russian involvement.
"The U.K. is determined to play a leadership role on European security, supporting the foundations for our security and prosperity at home and showing our adversaries that we are united in our determination to protect our interests," U.K. Defense Secretary John Healey said.
European countries are looking to jointly strengthen security as the Trump administration signals reduced presence on the continent and urges Europe to take up responsibility for backing Ukraine against Russian aggression.
After two European summits earlier this week, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is planning to visit Washington to meet Trump and reportedly pitch a plan for 30,000 European peacekeepers in Ukraine.
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.
Philippe Legrain
