"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.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Co-Chair of the newly announced Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), arrives on Capitol Hill on Dec. 5, 2024 in Washington, DC. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
The Ukrainian Congress Committee of America (UCCA), a U.S. nonprofit, has taken action to block the tech company SpaceX from placing nearly 22,500 Starlink satellites into low-earth orbit, CNBC reported on Dec. 5.
The group cited concerns over SpaceX CEO Elon Musk's "contacts with Russia and the alleged use of his Starlink system by Russian forces in Ukraine."
The UCCA, which represents Ukrainian-Americans, filed a petition to deny and motion for stay with the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Dec. 4, urging the agency to conduct further review before allowing SpaceX to launch 22,488 additional Starlink satellites.
"There is a necessity to determine if Starlink has been used to help a foreign adversary," UCCA President Michael Sawkiw, Jr., told CNBC.
"If yes, this is not in the national security interest of Ukrainian-Americans, or of the entire country."
In its petition to the FCC, the UCCA also referenced environmental considerations and conflict-of-interest issues arising from Musk's involvement in the incoming Trump administration.
SpaceX began providing Starlink terminals to Ukraine shortly after the full-scale invasion, giving Kyiv a crucial communications advantage on the battlefield. While SpaceX does not sell units to Russia directly, Russian troops in Ukraine continue to obtain Starlink terminals through shadowy supply chains and intermediaries.
The Russian military's illegal use of Starlink terminals has contributed to territorial losses in Ukraine, including the fall of Vuhledar, the Washington Post reported in October.
Musk has denied selling any Starlink units to Russia and said that Starlink would not connect to any devices there.
Democratic senators recently called for an investigation into Musk's involvement in SpaceX programs due to reports that he held secret conversations with Putin and other Russian officials.
SpaceX currently holds billions of dollars in U.S. government contracts with the Pentagon and NASA, and has a $1.8-billion intelligence community contract to develop a spy satellite network. The Pentagon financially supports Starlink access for the Ukrainian military.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Martin Fornusek
