"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.
Oleh Horokhovskyi, CEO of mobile-only banking service Monobank, at the company's office in Kyiv on July 4, 2023. (Pete Kiehart/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukrainians and foreign donors have sent over 27 million hryvnia ($649,000) in donations to the fundraiser "for nukes" that was opened immediately after the publicized White House clash between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The "for nukes" reference serves as a joke that refers to President Volodymyr Zelensky's previous assertions that if Western allies are not ready to accept the country into NATO, then the U.S. should provide Ukraine with an alternative security guarantee, such as nuclear weapons.
With many Ukrainians staying up late due to the news about Trump and Zelensky's heated meeting in Washington, the fundraiser was opened at 1 a.m. Kyiv time by Oleg Gorokhovskyi, Ukrainian businessman and co-owner of country's largest online bank Monobank.
Zelensky left Washington early on Feb. 28 without signing a mineral deal with the United States after Trump reportedly ordered his officials to tell the Ukrainian delegation to leave the White House, despite protest from the Ukrainians.
"There are many requests to start fundraising for the nukes. Here is the jar," Gorokhovskyi wrote in his social media, without elaborating on the subsequent use of the "nukes."
He added a link to the 'jar,' Monobank's famous feature that many volunteers use to raise money for the war effort and humanitarian aid, such as reconstruction of the Ukraine's largest children hospital Okhmatdyt after Russian missile attack in 2024.
According to Gorokhovskyi, Hr 2 million (nearly $50.000) were raised in the first 30 minutes of the fundraiser. Sixteen hours after it began, the sum reached Hr 22 million. It was not immediately clear as to what chartiable cause the money will be donated to.
"About 70,000 participants from 61 countries," Gorokhovskyi wrote on Mar. 1.
"After Ukraine, the U.S. donates the most, followed by Poland. Thank you, friends! Americans and Poles are our closest friends and allies beyond any doubt," he added.
The fundraiser's success shows a wave of support for Zelensky from Ukrainians and foreigners following his explosive meeting with Trump and U.S. Vice President JD Vance.
Following the exchange, a number of European leaders on Feb. 28 reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and Zelensky.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas emphasized the EU's commitment to stepping up assistance to Ukraine, enabling the country to continue resisting the aggressor.
"Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader. It's up to us, Europeans, to take this challenge," Kallas posted on X.
Natalia Yermak is a staff writer for the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a fixer-producer and contributing reporter for the New York Times since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Previously, she worked in film production and documentary.
Dmytro Basmat
