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.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban attends a joint press conference with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in Belgrade, Serbia, on Sept. 29, 2023. (Milos Miskov/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reiterated his opposition to Ukraine's accession to the European Union on Feb. 28, warning that it would "destroy" Hungary, the country's public broadcaster Hirado reported.
"It will destroy us. First of all, it will destroy Hungarian farmers and Hungarian agriculture; secondly, it will destroy the entire Hungarian national economy, and I have no idea how we will control the crime that will flood into Hungary with this," Orban said.
While he acknowledged that circumstances could change in the future, Orban insisted that Ukraine's accession was "unthinkable" under current conditions.
Orban, widely seen as the EU's most pro-Russian leader, has repeatedly opposed military aid for Ukraine, arguing that Western support prolongs the war.
He has maintained close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting him despite the full-scale invasion and amplifying Kremlin narratives in Europe.
Hungary has used its veto power to stall key EU decisions on Ukraine, including military aid and accession talks.
Budapest has also demanded the removal of eight individuals from the EU's Russia sanctions list and fresh guarantees on Ukraine's gas transit negotiations before agreeing to renew the restrictions, Reuters reported on Feb. 25.
In previous negotiations, Hungary secured exemptions for Moscow Patriarch Kirill and the domestic use of Russian oil products.
Kirill, a close ally of the Kremlin, has publicly endorsed Russia's war against Ukraine, yet Budapest has blocked EU efforts to sanction him.
Ukraine applied for EU membership in 2022 and achieved candidate status within months. Accession talks formally began in June 2024, with European leaders setting a 2030 target for Ukraine's potential entry.
Unanimity among EU members is required for further progress, giving Hungary leverage to delay or block the process.
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.
Tennyson Dearing
