"According to the participants of the performances, their goal is to remind the civilized world of the barbaric actions of Moscow, which for many years and decades has systematically violated international law," a source in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency (HUR) told the Kyiv Independent.
"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.
The flag of Saudi Arabia is seen in the middle between the U.S. and Ukrainian flags prior to talks hosted by the Saudis on March 11, 2025 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Salah Malkawi/Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was updated with media reporting that the meeting had concluded.
Ukrainian and U.S. delegations have concluded another round of talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on March 25, Ukrainian outlet Suspilne reported, citing undisclosed sources.
The meeting, which seemed to have lasted a little over an hour, followed 12-hour talks between the U.S. and Russia in Riyadh on March 24. Details of the latest round of talks have not been made public.
The talks are part of U.S. President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts to broker a ceasefire and a broader peace agreement in Ukraine. Trump has said the U.S.-Ukraine negotiations include discussions on territorial matters, demarcation lines, and the status of Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
The U.S. initially planned to meet with both Ukraine and Russia on the same day, but President Volodymyr Zelensky later said the first meeting with Kyiv would take place on March 23, a day before the U.S.-Russia talks.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, leading Kyiv's delegation, said military, diplomatic, and energy representatives were participating in the March 23 discussions.
"The conversation was constructive and meaningful — we discussed key issues, including in the energy sector," Umerov wrote on Facebook.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed on March 24 that the Black Sea Initiative was a key topic in U.S.-Russia talks in Riyadh, according to state-owned TASS.
A similar arrangement existed under the 2022 Black Sea Grain Initiative, a U.N.- and Turkey-brokered deal that allowed Ukraine to export agricultural goods via the Black Sea despite Russia's full-scale invasion.
The agreement helped stabilize global food prices but collapsed in July 2023 when Moscow withdrew. Since then, Russian forces have repeatedly targeted Ukrainian port infrastructure.
A Russian ballistic missile struck Odesa's port on March 1, damaging facilities and a Panamanian-flagged civilian ship. Several other foreign vessels have been hit, including in October 2024, when multiple ships sustained damage in separate Russian strikes.
The negotiations come amid concerns that Moscow is deliberately stalling peace efforts to strengthen its position. The Kremlin claimed last week that it had ordered a 30-day halt to strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure following a phone call between Trump and Putin.
Kyiv supported a mutual halt on energy strikes but later accused Russia of continuing attacks against civilian targets.
On March 21, Russia accused Ukraine of shelling the Sudzha gas metering station in Kursk Oblast, a key transit facility for Russian gas exports to Europe. Ukraine's General Staff denied the claim, calling it a staged provocation.
The U.S. and Ukraine initially supported a broader 30-day ceasefire that would include halting ground operations, but Russia rejected the proposal unless it included conditions undermining Ukraine's defense capabilities, such as a suspension of foreign military support.
The Moscow Times reported on March 24 that Russia is deliberately prolonging peace talks to seize more territory and strengthen its negotiating position with the U.S.
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.
Martin Fornusek
