President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on May 27 that he will attend the Group of Seven (G7) summit scheduled to take place in Canada in June, Suspilne reported.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney invited Zelensky in March to attend the summit, shortly after he took office.

Zelensky confirmed that he had received an invitation from Carney, but did not specify whether he would attend the event in person or online.

The president added that NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte was also willing to include Ukraine at the alliance summit on June 24-25.

“It is very important for Ukraine to understand in what format it can be presented. There are many different signals regarding NATO (summit),” Zelensky said.

Canada, which holds the G7 presidency this year, will host the summit on June 15-17 in Kananaskis County, located in the western province of Alberta.

This summit will be the first for new Canadian Prime Minister Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump after his return to the White House.

The summit’s agenda will include topics such as support for Ukraine in the Russian war, global economic stability, digital transformation, and climate change.

Ban on NATO’s eastward expansion, easing sanctions — Reuters lists Putin’s Ukraine peace demands

One senior Russian source told Reuters that Putin is ready for a peace agreement, but “not at any price.”

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Western sanctions will significantly affect the Russian economy in the early summer of 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 27 during a press briefing, Suspilne reported.

Ukraine’s partners have imposed heavy sanctions on Russia since the beginning of the invasion in 2022. In spite of these measures, Moscow retains its ability to wage war, gradually advancing in several sectors of the front line and increasing its defense production.

Zelensky said he hopes that in June 2026, there will be no more war in Ukraine, but Russia will still feel the pressure of sanctions.

“Sometime in the summer of 2026, their economy will feel it strongly,” Zelensky said.

The president added that the biggest challenge at the moment is the developing Russian military-industrial complex. At the same time, he noted that Russia will not be able to increase its defense potential next year, citing Ukrainian estimates.

“We see that it (the Russian military-industrial complex) will not be able to grow next year, its growth will decrease. And it will decrease constantly. That is, the economy will completely change, they will spend everything on war,” Zelensky said.

Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin.

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Zelensky stressed the significance of the West, particularly the U.S., increasing sanctions pressure on Russia.

“We are waiting for sanctions from the U.S. Europe has done it, and there is the 17th package. We have been discussing the details of the 18th package, so that it will be stronger,” Zelensky said, adding that if the next package is supported, the consequences for Russia could be significant.

Zelensky’s statement comes as U.S. President Donald Trump is considering imposing sanctions on Russia this week, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on May 26. The sanctions would reportedly aim to push Russia to the negotiating table but may not include additional banking restrictions, according to the media outlet.

Trump’s stance on U.S. sanctions against Russia has been unclear. Trump has repeatedly threatened additional economic measures against Moscow but said he does not plan to take the step at the moment after his phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators has said they are ready to vote on a bill on sanctions against Russia if peace talks over the war in Ukraine do not progress soon. The bill, introduced to the Senate in early April, would impose new penalties on Russia and slap 500% tariffs on imports from countries that buy Russian oil, petroleum products, natural gas, or uranium.

Ban on NATO’s eastward expansion, easing sanctions — Reuters lists Putin’s Ukraine peace demands

One senior Russian source told Reuters that Putin is ready for a peace agreement, but “not at any price.”

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

A meeting between Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin is “fundamentally possible,” but must be based upon “specific agreements” between the two sides, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on May 28.

“Our position on the fundamental possibility of such a meeting has not changed,” Peskov said, according to the Russian pro-state news agency Interfax.

“But such a meeting should be the result of specific agreements between the two delegations in various areas,” he said when asked about the possibility of a meeting between Putin, Zelensky, and potentially U.S. President Donald Trump.

The comments come after Zelensky declared he is ready to meet the Russian leader in a three-way format with Trump to discuss peace efforts in Ukraine. The U.S. president has vowed to broker a peace deal between Kyiv and Moscow and supported the idea of a summit at the highest level.

“We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. The American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this. We are ready for the ‘Trump, Putin, and me’ format, and we are ready for the Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky format, and then the three of us,” Zelensky said on May 27.

Moscow continues to reject calls by Kyiv and Western partners for a ceasefire, and has only intensified strikes against Ukrainian cities while reportedly preparing a new offensive this summer.

It is not immediately clear what agreements the Kremlin requires to arrange the meeting.

Ukraine’s head of state previously invited Putin for face-to-face talks in Istanbul on May 16. Putin refused to attend himself, instead dispatching a delegation of junior aides led by Vladimir Medinsky.

The peace talks have not yielded any breakthrough apart from a major prisoner exchange.

The Kremlin has also repeatedly attacked Zelensky’s legitimacy as president, pointing out that his first presidential term was originally meant to end on May 20, 2024.

Ukraine’s constitution prohibits elections during martial law, which has been in effect since Russia’s full-scale invasion began in 2022. As a result, Zelensky’s term has been extended, which constitutional lawyers argue is permitted under Ukrainian law.

Zelensky and Putin met only once, during the Normandy Format talks in France in December 2019.

Ban on NATO’s eastward expansion, easing sanctions — Reuters lists Putin’s Ukraine peace demands

One senior Russian source told Reuters that Putin is ready for a peace agreement, but “not at any price.”

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Russian President Vladimir Putin demands a written pledge by NATO not to accept more Eastern European members and the lifting of several sanctions as conditions for ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, Reuters reported on May 28, citing three undisclosed Russian sources.

“Putin is ready to make peace but not at any price,” one senior Russian source told Reuters. A ban on NATO’s “eastward expansion” would rule out the future accession of Ukraine, Georgia, Moldova, and others.

Moscow has claimed that Ukraine’s NATO aspirations have been one of the key causes of the Russian invasion. The Russian aggression against Ukraine began in 2014 with the annexation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, a time when Kyiv had little prospect of joining the alliance in the foreseeable future.

Russia wants to see Ukraine neutral, and is seeking to lift some Western sanctions, resolve the issue of frozen Russian assets, and “protect” Russian-speaking residents of Ukraine, Reuters' sources added.

Moscow has spread the narrative that Kyiv is oppressing Russian speakers in Ukraine through its language laws. The Russian language remains widely spoken across the country, though the Ukrainian government adopted a number of reforms in recent years to promote the Ukrainian language and identity after decades of Russification under the Russian and Soviet rule.

One of the sources said that Putin realizes he will not be able to reach a peace agreement on his terms, so he will try to show Ukraine and Europe with his military gains that “peace tomorrow will be even more painful."

Following the call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19, Putin said Russia’s position in the negotiations remains unchanged and requires “eliminating the root causes” of the war, including an alleged threat from NATO.

Trump has repeatedly echoed Moscow’s narrative that Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO have been one of the root causes of the full-scale invasion. Kyiv rejected restrictions on joining international alliances and organizations — namely, NATO and the EU — as part of a potential peace deal.

Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, months after the outbreak of the full-scale war. The country has not received a formal invitation, as the 32 members have struggled to reach a consensus.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Debunking Putin’s ‘root causes’ claims

As Russia continues to bombard cities and towns across Ukraine, Russian officials have hardened their position against a ceasefire, continuing to repeat the obscure demand that the war’s “root causes” be addressed before agreeing to any truce. For months, the phrase “root causes” has become a go-to talking point

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 27 that he does not believe the U.S. would support a full Ukrainian withdrawal from four of its partially occupied regions, a demand repeatedly raised by Russia, Interfax-Ukraine news agency reported.

“What’s written in the ultimatums doesn’t matter if we’re talking about more than just a piece of paper; we’re talking about what could lead to the first step: a ceasefire,” Zelensky told journalists, according to the news agency.

“I think that even at the highest level, the United States today will not support Ukraine withdrawing from the territories” controlled by Ukraine, he continued, adding that Kyiv does not want Washington to walk away from the peace efforts.

Russia again rejected Kyiv and Western partners' calls for an unconditional ceasefire during recent peace talks in Istanbul, insisting instead that Ukraine must withdraw its forces from Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.

Moscow illegally declared the annexation of the four regions in September 2022, despite not controlling them fully. Russia continues to occupy roughly 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimean peninsula illegally annexed in 2014.

As the Trump administration has sought to broker a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine, it has reportedly offered wide-ranging concessions to Moscow, including a potential recognition of its control over Crimea and the lifting of sanctions.

At the same time, U.S. officials have signaled opposition to Russia’s demand for Ukraine’s withdrawal from the Ukrainian-held territories. U.S. Vice President JD Vance said on May 7 that Russia is “asking for too much,” underscoring Washington’s growing frustration with Moscow’s delays.

U.S. President Donald Trump and his aides have warned that the U.S. would exit the negotiations if progress is not achieved soon.

Zelensky ready for three-way meeting with Trump, Putin

“We are ready for the ‘Trump, Putin, and me’ format, and we are ready for the Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky format, and then the three of us,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

Editor’s note: This story is being updated.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 27 that he is ready for a three-way meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Suspilne reported.

“We are ready to meet at the level of leaders. The American side knows this, and the Russian side knows this. We are ready for the ‘Trump, Putin, and me’ format, and we are ready for the Trump-Putin, Trump-Zelensky format, and then the three of us,” Zelensky said.

If Germany sends Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Russia has a major Crimean Bridge problem

A statement from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 26 about long-range strikes inside Russia resurrected a long-held hope in Ukraine — that Berlin is finally about to send Kyiv its Taurus missiles. “There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the U.

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

U.S. Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg on May 27 criticized former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev for comments that alluded to the threat of World War III, calling them “reckless” and “unfitting of a world power."

“President (Donald) Trump… is working to stop this war and end the killing. We await receipt of (the Russian) Memorandum… that you promised a week ago. Cease fire now,” Kellogg said on X.

The envoy’s remarks came in response to a tweet from Medvedev that referenced Trump’s recent warnings to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one really bad thing — WWIII,” Medvedev wrote. “I hope Trump understands this!"

Medvedev’s comments refer to Trump’s recent posts on Truth Social, in which he reacted to Russia’s weekend aerial attacks on Ukraine, including the largest drone assault since the start of the full-scale invasion. In the posts, Trump called Putin “crazy” and warned him that he was “playing with fire."

The U.S. president has increasingly voiced frustration with stalled peace efforts, signaling readiness to walk away from the process. Despite repeated threats of sanctions, Trump has not imposed any additional pressure on Moscow to push it toward a ceasefire agreement.

Russia has repeatedly rejected Kyiv and its Western partners' proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. Following Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul on May 16, the Russian leadership said it would present a memorandum toward a peaceful settlement.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia’s delays in presenting the document are a “mockery of the whole world."

Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin.

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce advised Russia to focus less on President Donald Trump’s social media posts and more on ending its war against Ukraine.

“If the Russians cared about the nature of how [peace efforts are] proceeding, they would be thinking less about [the president’s statements] and more about what they could do – which is in their hands – to stop the carnage and the slaughter that’s happening right now,” Bruce said during a May 27 press briefing.

Bruce’s comments refer to Trump’s recent posts on Truth Social, in which he reacted to Russia’s weekend bombardment of Ukraine that killed at least 12 people. Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin “crazy” and warned him that he was “playing with fire."

The Kremlin dismissed the remarks, calling Trump’s statements the result of “emotional overload."

Bruce added that Trump’s posts were a “clear and completely transparent” statement regarding his opinion of Russia’s attacks on Ukraine, and she encouraged Russia to take him seriously.

Over the weekend, Russia launched the largest aerial assault on Ukraine since the start of the full-scale war in 2022, firing more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine. On May 26 alone, Russia reportedly launched 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys –  the largest drone attack of the war.

Despite Trump’s public criticism of Putin, there have been no concrete policy changes with regard to applying more pressure on Russia. Meanwhile, U.S. lawmakers have called for tougher action on Russia and are prepared to pass a a bipartisan, "bone-crushing" sanctions bill that has yet to be endorsed by Trump.

Trump admits to protecting Russia from ‘really bad things’ during Ukraine peace talks

Trump’s comments come amid growing pressure on the U.S. administration to respond to escalating Russian attacks.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Russian air defense shot down dozens of Ukrainian drones headed toward Moscow overnight on May 28, according to Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin.

Writing on Telegram at 12:29 a.m. local time, Sobyanin claimed that Russian air defense shot down four drones flying toward Moscow. Emergency services were working at the wreckage site.

Since then, dozens of Ukrainian drones have been allegedly shot down near Moscow. Most recently, two more drones were shot down at 2:41 a.m. local time, according to Sobyanin’s latest Telegram post.

A total of 26 Ukrainian drones have been shot down so far, according to Russian officials.

No casualties or damage have been reported at the time of publication.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify Sobyanin’s claims. Ukraine rarely comments on reports of drone strikes on Russian soil.

As Russia continues to reject calls for a ceasefire and the war drags on, Ukraine has intensified drone attacks on Russian territory.

The recent surge in drone strikes aims to disrupt airport operations, overwhelm air defenses, and make the war more visible to ordinary Russians.

Trump admits to protecting Russia from ‘really bad things’ during Ukraine peace talks

Trump’s comments come amid growing pressure on the U.S. administration to respond to escalating Russian attacks.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 27 that Ukraine is fully mobilizing its domestic industrial base to scale up production of drones, missiles, and other weapons systems, as the country braces for continued large-scale Russian attacks.

From May 24 to 26, Russian forces fired more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, with the third night amounting to the single largest drone attack of the full-scale war.

Zelensky’s remarks followed a high-level meeting with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Chief of the General Staff Anatolii Hnatov, and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.

“The agenda included planning our actions, our readiness to respond to Russian strikes, to their threats, and taking preventive measures, which means increasing the production of our drones and our missiles,” the president said during his evening address.

He added that “hundreds of Ukrainian companies are already producing results for Ukraine’s Defense Forces, with more to follow.” Zelensky said the government is fully mobilizing “entrepreneurial capacity for weapons production” and plans to sign new agreements with European partners to attract investment, focusing on unmanned systems and long-range capabilities.

While the government cannot publicly disclose its existing plans or capabilities, Zelensky emphasized that Ukraine must “respond symmetrically to all Russian threats” and Moscow must “clearly feel the consequences of what they are doing against Ukraine. And they will."

“Attack drones, interceptors, cruise missiles, Ukrainian ballistic systems – these are the key elements. We must manufacture all of them,” he said.

In the meantime, the Trump administration has spent months trying to broker a peace deal in Ukraine. However, direct talks in Istanbul failed to yield a ceasefire, and during a May 19 phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin once again rejected calls for a 30-day truce.

Despite this, Trump has refused to impose new sanctions on Moscow so far, but said on May 25 that new sanctions could be on the table: “I’ve always gotten along with him,” Trump said of Putin. “But he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people (…) We’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities. I don’t like it at all."

Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin.

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

U.S. President Donald Trump is weighing new sanctions on Russia after a deadly weekend of missile and drone strikes across Ukraine, as Moscow delays delivering a promised peace proposal.

During a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin on May 19, Trump was told that a “memorandum of peace” outlining conditions for a ceasefire would be delivered shortly. As of May 27, no such document has been received, a U.S. official and a White House source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said earlier that there was “no timeline” for completing the document, according to Russian state media TASS.

“He’s killing a lot of people,” Trump said of Putin on May 25. “I don’t know what’s wrong with him. What the hell happened to him?” The president’s comments came amid mounting pressure from both parties in Congress to take a firmer stance.

More than 80 senators have backed a bipartisan bill seeking sweeping new measures, including secondary sanctions and 500% tariffs on nations purchasing Russian energy. “All of us, by our public statements as well as private contacts, are pressing very, very hard,” Democratic Sen. Richard Blumenthal told CNN.

On Truth Social, Trump warned that Russia is “playing with fire” and hinted at potential consequences: “What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD."

The remarks prompted a pointed reaction from Moscow, with former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev interpreting them as a warning of possible escalation.

“Regarding Trump’s words about Putin ‘playing with fire’ and ‘really bad things’ happening to Russia. I only know of one REALLY BAD thing — WWIII,” Medvedev wrote on X on May 27. “I hope Trump understands this!”

According to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told him ahead of the Trump-Putin call that Moscow would prepare a draft outlining its requirements for a ceasefire. Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova confirmed on May 27 that work on the document is ongoing. “As soon as the memorandum is prepared, it will be handed over to Kyiv,” she said.

Bracing for more Russian attacks, an anxious Ukraine waits for Trump to do… something

After an unprecedented three-day wave of Russian aerial attacks in Ukraine over the weekend, the world is once again looking to U.S. President Donald Trump to take his first steps toward forcing Moscow to end its violence. From May 24 to 26, Russian forces fired more than 600 drones

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

Ukrainian military officials and defense analysts warn that Russia is preparing for a major offensive in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk Oblast this summer, aiming to seize the territory it has failed to fully control since 2022.

Some analysts interviewed by the Washington Post say the offensive has already begun, coinciding with stalled U.S.-brokered peace efforts and Moscow’s rejection of repeated Western ceasefire calls. U.S. experts believe President Vladimir Putin remains convinced that a military victory is still possible, although continued sanctions and battlefield losses have strained Russia’s capabilities.

Putin has long prioritized control over the entire Donetsk region, especially after failing to capture Kyiv early in the war. In September 2022, he declared Donetsk and three other partially occupied Ukrainian oblasts as part of the Russian Federation.

While Russia claims to seek peace, it insists that talks must address what it calls the “root causes” of the war. After direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul on May 16, both sides agreed to draft a memorandum outlining principles for a future settlement.

Russia pushes forward in Donetsk Oblast, threatening Ukrainian pocket around Toretsk

Russian troops have upped the intensity of their Donetsk Oblast offensive in recent weeks, increasingly pressuring a relatively large Ukrainian pocket between some of the last cities in the region. An unsettling situation for Ukrainian troops is now unfolding south of the town of Kostiantynivka, which has long served as

The Kyiv IndependentAsami Terajima

Analysts say that while the main offensive will focus on Donetsk—particularly the towns of Pokrovsk and Kostiantynivka—Russia is also preparing smaller operations in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy and Kharkiv oblasts.

Mykola Bielieskov of Ukraine’s National Institute for Strategic Studies told the Washington Post that Kostiantynivka remains a key target as it is a “promising” prospect for the Russian forces at present, he said, given Russia’s ability to attack it from three directions. Despite past predictions that these towns would fall by late 2023, Ukrainian forces have continued to hold them through significant effort.

Ukraine, however, remains under strain due to recruitment shortfalls and limited firepower, while Russia has exceeded its military recruitment goals. Still, with around 125,000 troops on the Sumy and Kharkiv borders, Russia lacks the manpower for full-scale offensives in both regions, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

Instead, Russia may attempt to seize small territories to create “buffer zones,” as described by Russian officials. Russian forces have already taken four villages in northeastern Sumy Oblast and aim to pressure regional centers like Sumy city.

Ukraine continues to focus on defense, aiming to inflict heavy losses on Russian forces rather than reclaim territory. This strategy hinges on sustained foreign weapons supplies, especially from the U.S., which are not guaranteed.

Europe has signaled increased support, with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz recently lifting restrictions on Ukraine’s use of long-range weapons. Russia has seized on this move as proof that Europe opposes peace. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov responded to U.S. President Donald Trump’s criticism of Russian airstrikes by saying Trump’s frustration is directed at European leaders for allegedly undermining his peace efforts.

Bracing for more Russian attacks, an anxious Ukraine waits for Trump to do… something

After an unprecedented three-day wave of Russian aerial attacks in Ukraine over the weekend, the world is once again looking to U.S. President Donald Trump to take his first steps toward forcing Moscow to end its violence. From May 24 to 26, Russian forces fired more than 600 drones

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

After an unprecedented three-day wave of Russian aerial attacks in Ukraine over the weekend, the world is once again looking to U.S. President Donald Trump to take his first steps toward forcing Moscow to end its violence.

From May 24 to 26, Russian forces fired more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles across Ukraine, with the third night amounting to the single largest drone attack of the full-scale war.

In Ukraine, as well as being terrifying for those who experienced it, it was also a damning indictment of how ineffective the U.S.-led peace process has been so far.

“The Kremlin only understands the language of strength — sanctions, weapons, firm positions, and decisive action,” Halyna Yanchenko, a lawmaker from the Servant of the People party, told the Kyiv Independent.

Since the attacks, Trump has used a lot of language, but is yet to show any strength. In a post on social media, he said Russian President Vladimir Putin had gone “absolutely crazy” and could be triggering “the downfall of Russia,” adding he was “not happy” with him.

But despite the rhetoric, one glaring fact remains — after 127 days in office, Trump has still not ended a war he claimed he would end within 100 days, and has yet to take a single concrete step to pressure the one person refusing to agree to the ceasefire he himself proposed — Putin.

On May 26, the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that Trump is considering imposing sanctions on Russia this week, something he has previously opposed as it may hinder future business and trade opportunities.

A day later, Trump appeared to acknowledge the leverage he has over Putin but has so far failed to use, admitting in a post on social media that he was protecting Russia from “really bad things."

“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean really bad. He’s playing with fire,” he wrote on Truth Social.

While Ukraine waits for Trump to finally follow through on his threats, there’s no sign that Russia intends to stop the sort of mass missile and drone attacks that have rocked the country for years, but reached new levels of intensity over the weekend.

Russia has upgraded its ballistic missiles with radar decoys and evasive maneuvers, making them potentially harder to intercept even by Patriot air defenses, Ukraine’s Air Force said on May 24.

Moscow’s drone production continues to ramp up, with mass strikes employing ever more sophisticated tactics to reach Ukraine’s cities.

And on the front lines, Kyiv has repeatedly warned about the threat of a new major Russian offensive targeting Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts this spring and summer.

And if that wasn't evidence enough, Kremlin officials have since a call last week between Trump and Putin given up any pretence of being interested in negotiations with Ukraine, or in a ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov saying, "we don't want this anymore."

"​​The events of this past weekend are yet another reminder — you can’t make deals with Russia 'in a nice way,'" Yanchenko said.

"No so-called 'constructive dialogue' or diplomatic politeness works with an aggressor that has been waging war against Ukraine for 11 years. If we want that to change, we must cut off Russia’s ability to profit from war — by targeting its energy revenues, logistics, and military-industrial complex," she added.

With escalating aerial attacks on Ukraine, and Moscow gearing up for a renewed offensive, European capitals, particularly those geographically close to Russia, say the only way to end the war at this stage is through sanctions.

"Russia has repeatedly shown that it has no interest in peace. Its goal remains the destruction of Ukraine. This makes it clear that the pressure on Russia to stop the aggression has not been sufficient," Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsakhna told the Kyiv Independent.

Tsakhna highlighted preparations for the European Union’s 18th sanctions package, saying the "war will only end when Russia faces strong pressure and is deprived of the resources needed to continue its aggression."

"The faster and more decisively we limit the flow of money into Russia's economy, the more likely Putin is to abandon his imperialist goals," he added.

Finland’s Ambassador to Ukraine Tarja Fernández told the Kyiv Independent that the weekend's attacks showed that despite Trump's efforts to broker a peace in Ukraine, "nothing has changed in Moscow."

"Our basic line is to support Ukraine as long as needed and support further sanctions against Russia," she added.

French Senator Helene Conway-Moure told the Kyiv Independent it was essential that Europe "shows Russia that we are united" and step up sanctions that will "put an end to their war economy."

"These sanctions must be strong and respected, and must not only be imposed by the Europeans, but also by the Americans," she added.

There was a ray of hope among the gloom this week when on May 26, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hinted at developments in the long-range missiles supplied by Western nations.

"There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the U.K., France, nor us. There are no restrictions by the U.S. either," he said.

Despite rowing back his statement a day later to clarify he was talking about the lifting of restrictions that happened last year, his use of the words "nor us" has once again opened up the debate over Germany's long-standing refusal to supply Ukraine with Taurus cruise missiles.

But even this came up against the reality facing Ukraine's increasingly stretched resistance to Russia's full-scale invasion.

"It's good news that they have lifted these restrictions on the use of missiles," Oleksandr Merezhko, a Ukrainian lawmaker and chair of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, told the Kyiv Independent.

"But where are these missiles?"

If Germany sends Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Russia has a major Crimean Bridge problem

A statement from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 26 about long-range strikes inside Russia resurrected a long-held hope in Ukraine — that Berlin is finally about to send Kyiv its Taurus missiles. “There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the U.

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

Key developments on May 27:

• Trump admits to protecting Russia from ‘really bad things’ during Ukraine peace talks
• Russia builds power lines to connect occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to its grid, NYT reports
• US blocks G7 push to tighten Russian oil price cap, Financial Times reports
• Decision on lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine made months ago, Germany’s Merz clarifies
• Russia changes drone tactics to bypass Ukraine’s air defense, Air Force says

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on May 27 that Russia would already be facing serious consequences if not for his actions, following one of the most intense Russian aerial assaults on Ukraine.

“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean really bad. He’s playing with fire,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump’s comments mark a rare public rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing pressure on the U.S. administration to respond to escalating Russian attacks.

On May 26, Russia launched its third large-scale aerial and drone assault against Ukraine in three nights, killing at least six people and injuring 24 across multiple oblasts.

The attack marked the most extensive drone strike against Ukraine during the full-scale war, topping the previous record of 298 drones overnight on May 25.

Trump recently held a two-hour phone call with Putin during which Russia reiterated its refusal to a full ceasefire in its war against Ukraine. Despite this, Trump has refused to impose new sanctions on Moscow, citing ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire.

“Because I think there’s a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you could also make it much worse,” Trump said during a May 19 Oval Office briefing.

Trump has attempted to present himself as the only leader capable of ending the war quickly, though the lack of tangible pressure on Moscow has left Kyiv and its allies skeptical.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, responding to the May 25 overnight bombardment, called for urgent new sanctions and warned that “America’s silence, and the silence of others around the world, only encourages Putin."

The European Union and U.S. lawmakers have also called for tougher action.

A bipartisan sanctions bill is already awaiting approval in Congress, with provisions for sweeping financial penalties and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil or uranium.

Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin.

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

Russia builds power lines to connect occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear plant to its grid, NYT reports

Russia is constructing power lines in occupied southern Ukraine in an apparent attempt to link the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (ZNPP) to its energy grid, the New York Times reported on May 27, citing a new Greenpeace report.

The Zaporizhzhia plant, the largest nuclear facility in Europe and one of the ten largest globally, has been under Russian occupation since March 2022.

Satellite imagery included in the report shows that since early February 2025, Russian forces have laid over 80 kilometers (49 miles) of high-voltage lines between occupied Mariupol and Berdyansk, following the coastline of the Sea of Azov.

Greenpeace experts believe the construction aims to connect the new lines to a large substation near Mariupol, which could, in turn, be linked to the ZNPP, which is located some 225 kilometers (some 139 miles) away.

It sits in the city of Enerhodar in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia Oblast, on the east bank of the Dnipro River, which remains under Russian control. Ukrainian authorities have no access to the site or its surrounding infrastructure.

Shaun Burnie, a nuclear specialist at Greenpeace, said that the satellite evidence offers the first concrete confirmation of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s plans to restart the plant and permanently integrate it into Russia’s grid.

The construction of power infrastructure indicates long-term intentions to seize full control of Ukraine’s energy assets in the occupied regions.

Russia has repeatedly asserted ownership over the plant based on its illegal annexation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in September 2022, despite the fact that Ukraine retains control over much of the oblast, including its administrative center.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has repeatedly expressed concern over the safety of the plant, where shelling and the presence of armed troops have led to multiple emergency shutdowns and power disruptions.

The U.S. has reportedly proposed that control over the ZNPP be returned to Ukraine before transferring its management to the U.S. to supply electricity to areas under both Ukrainian and Russian control. Russia immediately rejected the suggestion.

If Germany sends Taurus missiles to Ukraine, Russia has a major Crimean Bridge problem

A statement from German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on May 26 about long-range strikes inside Russia resurrected a long-held hope in Ukraine — that Berlin is finally about to send Kyiv its Taurus missiles. “There are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the U.

The Kyiv IndependentKollen Post

US blocks G7 push to tighten Russian oil price cap, Financial Times reports

The United States opposed a joint G7 effort to lower the $60-per-barrel price cap on Russian oil exports during last week’s meeting of finance ministers, the Financial Times reported on May 27, citing three unnamed officials familiar with the talks.

The price cap, introduced by the G7 and EU in December 2022, bans Western companies from shipping, insuring, or otherwise servicing Russian oil sold above $60 per barrel.

The mechanism was designed to limit the Kremlin’s ability to finance its war against Ukraine.

The Canadian G7 presidency had proposed including language in the meeting’s final communique that would call for tightening the existing price cap, according to the publication.

The move received backing from the European Union and G7 members France, Germany, Italy, and the U.K. However, the proposal was dropped after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly declined to support it.

The European Commission had planned to propose reducing the threshold to $50 per barrel ahead of the meeting, according to Reuters.

The Financial Times reported that some EU countries — including Hungary and Greece — were still weighing their support for lowering the cap further, possibly to $45, as part of the EU’s upcoming 18th sanctions package.

Russia’s Finance Ministry has leaned on oil and gas taxes to finance growing military expenditures, including aggressive campaigns against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Why did Russia invade Ukraine? Debunking Putin’s ‘root causes’ claims

As Russia continues to bombard cities and towns across Ukraine, Russian officials have hardened their position against a ceasefire, continuing to repeat the obscure demand that the war’s “root causes” be addressed before agreeing to any truce. For months, the phrase “root causes” has become a go-to talking point

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Decision on lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine made months ago, Germany’s Merz clarifies

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz clarified on May 27 that his comments on the West lifting range restrictions on arms for Ukraine referred to a step made months ago.

“The issue of limiting the range of deployed weapons played a role a few months and a few years ago. As far as I know, and as I said yesterday, the countries that imposed range limitations have long since abandoned these requirements,” Merz said during a press conference with Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo in Turku.

“In this respect, yesterday in Berlin, I described something that has been happening for months: namely, that Ukraine has the right to use the weapons it receives, even beyond its own borders, against military targets on Russian territory."

Speaking at a forum on May 26, Merz said that “there are no longer any restrictions on the range of weapons delivered to Ukraine” imposed by Germany, the U.S., the U.K., or France.

“This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia,” the chancellor added. “Until recently, it couldn’t do that, and apart from very few exceptions, it hadn’t done so either."

Ukraine has previously received long-range missiles from the U.S., the U.K., and France — including ATACMS, Storm Shadow, and SCALP — but was initially permitted to deploy them only against Russian military forces in occupied Ukrainian territories.

Only in late 2024, the Biden administration and other allies eased the restrictions, allowing Ukraine to use long-range missiles against Russian military targets on Russian territory.

Merz’s comments on May 26 caused some confusion as to whether he was referring to a newly announced policy, drawing both praise and rebuke. Ralf Stegner, a politician from Merz’s coalition partner, the Social Democratic Party (SPD), told the media the move was “unhelpful” and called instead for intensifying diplomatic efforts.

In turn, a former German defense minister and ex-leader of Merz’s CDU party, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, praised Merz for his comments.

Merz’s latest statement in Turku indicates that his earlier comment referred to the decision taken in late 2024 rather than a new policy. German Vice Chancellor Lars Klingbeil seemingly confirmed this, saying at a press conference that no new decision has been made “beyond what the previous government has done."

Before becoming chancellor, Merz signaled he would overturn the ban of his predecessor, Olaf Scholz, on the delivery of Germany’s Taurus cruise missiles, capable of striking targets at a distance of 500 kilometers (300 miles). He has not confirmed whether he intends to deliver the missiles since taking office.

Why Trump needs to follow through and trigger the ‘downfall of Russia’

Despite months of resisting President Donald Trump’s peace process, the U.S. has yet to take a single concrete step to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into ending his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentOleksii Kovalenko

Russia changes drone tactics to bypass Ukraine’s air defense, Air Force says

The Russian military has modified its tactics for launching attack drones against Ukraine in order to bypass air defenses, Ukraine’s Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said in an interview with RBC Ukraine published on May 27.

Russia has been ramping up its drone production to launch ever-greater strikes against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure. The night of May 26 marked the most extensive drone attack of the full-scale war, reportedly involving 355 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys.

Russia’s new tactic is to launch the drones at high altitudes, more than 2 kilometers (1.4 miles) above the ground, and keep changing the drones' routes. Then, the drones swoop down directly onto the target, Ihnat said.

“At this altitude, they become more visible to our radars, but remain out of reach of small arms, heavy machine guns, and mobile fire teams,” the spokesperson explained.

Russian forces have also been conducting simultaneous group raids on the same residential area or facility, as well as using unmanned simulator drones called Parodiya (“a parody” in English), increasing pressure on Ukraine’s air defense systems.

Recent Russian drone attacks comprised roughly 60% of attack drones and 40% of Parodiya decoys, according to Ihnat.

Russia has been deploying Iranian-made Shaheds and their domestically-produced copies, Gerans, to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses in massive swarm attacks, allowing more destructive ballistic and cruise missiles to slip through.

The Economist previously reported that Russia uses Telegram messaging app bots to control its attack drones, ensuring real-time flight data and footage feed for human operators. The new control algorithm was revealed in a note hidden inside one of the Russian drones, possibly left behind by a “sympathetic Russian engineer,” according to the media outlet.

Ukraine’s sky shield is increasingly stretched thin as Western air defense supplies are running out. An undisclosed source told Le Monde that Ukraine has run out of ammunition for its two SAMP/T air defense batteries, while the Crotale short-range anti-aircraft systems have not received new missiles for a year and a half.

It remains unclear how many U.S.-designed Patriot interceptors, which are key in intercepting Russian ballistic missiles, are left in Ukraine’s stockpiles, as the Trump administration is yet to approve any new military aid packages.

Note from the author:

Ukraine War Latest is put together by the Kyiv Independent news desk team, who keep you informed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you value our work and want to ensure we have the resources to continue, join the Kyiv Independent community.

U.S. President Donald Trump claimed on May 27 that Russia would already be facing serious consequences if not for his actions, following one of the most intense Russian aerial assaults on Ukraine.

“What Vladimir Putin doesn’t realize is that if it weren’t for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia, and I mean really bad. He’s playing with fire,” he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump’s comments mark a rare public rebuke of Russian President Vladimir Putin amid growing pressure on the U.S. administration to respond to escalating Russian attacks.

On May 26, Russia launched its third large-scale aerial and drone assault against Ukraine in three nights, killing at least six people and injuring 24 across multiple oblasts.

The attack marked the most extensive drone strike against Ukraine during the full-scale war, topping the previous record of 298 drones overnight on May 25.

Trump recently held a two-hour phone call with Putin during which Russia reiterated its refusal to a full ceasefire in its war against Ukraine. Despite this, Trump has refused to impose new sanctions on Moscow, citing ongoing efforts to reach a ceasefire.

“Because I think there’s a chance of getting something done, and if you do that, you could also make it much worse,” Trump said during a May 19 Oval Office briefing.

Trump has attempted to present himself as the only leader capable of ending the war quickly, though the lack of tangible pressure on Moscow has left Kyiv and its allies skeptical.

President Volodymyr Zelensky, responding to the May 25 overnight bombardment, called for urgent new sanctions and warned that “America’s silence, and the silence of others around the world, only encourages Putin."

The European Union and U.S. lawmakers have also called for tougher action.

A bipartisan sanctions bill is already awaiting approval in Congress, with provisions for sweeping financial penalties and tariffs on nations buying Russian oil or uranium.

Sanctions on Russia are working, Ukraine just needs more

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin.

The Kyiv IndependentDominic Culverwell

U.S. President Donald Trump may follow the EU after all and impose more sanctions on Russia, already the world’s most sanctioned country, days after saying he wouldn’t.

Ukraine’s allies have imposed sanctions on Russia, as well as thousands of individuals and entities both in the country and around the world for aiding Moscow’s full-scale invasion. But there is still room for more sanctions to be introduced, experts told the Kyiv Independent.

While Russia’s economy hasn’t crashed and burned as some expected, the three years of sanctions are eroding the country’s fiscal stability, despite Moscow claiming otherwise. Russian GDP growth has dropped precipitously this year as sanctions hamper its main sources of income — oil and gas revenue — and curb imports of components needed for its military-industrial complex.

Sanctions on their own won’t end the war, but they are a crucial tool in the West’s efforts to pressure Putin to the negotiation table. Washington’s seesawing on its sanctions strategy has alarmed Brussels, but Europe and others remain united on the effort.

“All the other partners that we’ve been talking to, including Switzerland, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Japan, and South Korea, all think that Russia should be stopped with the help of the sanctions, and they’re ready to do it,” Ukraine’s sanctions chief Vladyslav Vlasiuk told the Kyiv Independent.

“The EU has a lot of leverage in not just maintaining the sanctions pressure, but even increasing sanctions pressure,” he said.

Trump initially rejected joining the EU in further sanctioning Moscow for fear of derailing future trade and business opportunities with Russia, the New York Times reported on May 20. The previous week, Brussels said it was gearing up for a massive sanctions package after Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to attend peace talks in Istanbul on May 15.

Russia’s colossal three-day drone and missile campaign on May 23-26 appeared to change Trump’s mind. Speaking to reporters on May 25, he said he was considering sanctions after Putin had “gone absolutely crazy.”

Have sanctions against Russia worked?

Western sanctions have impeded Russia’s energy, financial, and military sectors, even if they haven’t stopped the war. Russia still has loopholes to get around sanctions, such as importing prohibited goods through Central Asia, but they are generally costly and time-consuming.

Ukraine and its allies have three key objectives when it comes to sanctions, according to Vlasiuk. To deny Russian state revenues, reduce its military capabilities, and undermine Putin’s regime.

The first two have yielded substantial results, with Russia losing $150 billion in oil revenues in three years due to energy sanctions and its military sector facing shortages in critical components, said Vlasiuk. The third hasn’t been successful as Putin still has widespread support from the Russian public, and that doesn’t look set to change, Vlasiuk added.

This year, Russia’s economy has started to contract for the first time since the start of the full-scale invasion in the first quarter of the year, shrinking by 0.4% compared to the previous quarter. In the same period, Russia’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth saw a precipitous drop from 4.5% to just 1.4%.  

While it’s hard to paint a fully accurate picture of Russia’s economy, due to the Kremlin restricting and manipulating data, Sussex University economics professor Richard Disney estimates that Russia’s economy is around 10% below what it would have been if it hadn’t invaded Ukraine.

“There’s a shortage of workforce, there’s the depletion of bank reserves, there’s the collapse of certain investments. Foreign investment has dried up in Russia,” Disney told the Kyiv Independent.

“Russia has gone from being close to a first-world country to heading in the direction of the third world,” he added.

Moscow has batted away claims that sanctions are impacting Russia, pointing to its economic growth over the last three years. In reality, it has divested spending from things like education and infrastructure towards the military.

This distorts actual GDP figures, and consumer spending and public investments have likely dropped by 15-20% compared to pre-war estimates, leaving Russians much poorer in reality, said Disney.

Western policymakers, particularly in Europe, have fed into Moscow’s propaganda by bigging up the impact of sanctions while holding back full force, said Tom Keatinge, director of the Center for Finance and Security at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a think tank. Instead, policymakers need to “manage expectations” on sanctions, he said.

The sanctions have also been imposed gradually over the three years instead of all at once, due to political hesitations and concerns about disruptions to global markets. While this gives governments time to fully prepare for the consequences of the sanctions, it means they are less effective.

“The West is not willing to impose the sort of sanctions on Russia that would indeed be 'massive' because those sanctions would inevitably have a blowback on European economies and this would be weaponized by nationalist politicians,” Keatinge said.

“The result is that Russia can adapt, shape-shift, and continue to gather the income and resources it needs to conduct its illegal war in Ukraine.”

Russia cuts key projects in aviation, tech, auto industries as oil revenues plummet

The Russian government is slashing budgets for major projects across a number of sectors amid an economic downturn and oil price collapse, the pro-Kremlin news outlet Kommersant reported.

The Kyiv IndependentAbbey Fenbert

Which sanctions have been effective?

Sanctions on Russia’s energy sector have often been criticized for being too loose, as Moscow exploits loopholes to export oil and gas and skirt the $60 oil price cap set by the West. Still, Russia’s fossil fuel sector continues to hemorrhage profits, and Europe has largely banned Russian energy, although it continues to import Russian liquid natural gas (LNG).

Russia earned around 242 billion euros ($275 billion) from fossil fuels last year, a 3% drop from 2023, according to the Helsinki-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air (CREA). Sweeping sanctions at the start of the year helped tie up loose ends and targeted Russia’s opaque and uninsured shadow fleet, which carried 61% of its seaborne oil exports in 2024.

Once a vessel is sanctioned, ports will refuse to allow it to dock. In turn, Russia must spend more money finding new vessels to expand the fleet, piling up the costs and running down the profits.

"Selling oil through tankers is a lot more expensive than selling it through a pipeline,” said Disney.

Alongside energy sanctions, the West also went after Russia’s financial institutions at the start of the full-scale invasion. Most Russian banks, including its Central Bank, are barred from the Western financial world and cannot be used for trade or capital operations.

In 2022, Europe kicked major Russian banks off the SWIFT interbanking system, which pushed Moscow towards the Chinese banking system. But Chinese banks began limiting Russian transactions from December 2023 after Washington threatened to cut dollar access to institutions supporting Russia's military suppliers.

In November 2024, Washington imposed even more sanctions on 50 Russian banks, making transactions between China and Russia even more arduous. Moscow has repeatedly tried to lift financial sanctions and restore access to SWIFT, like in March, when it demanded a ceasefire in the Black Sea in return, which ultimately failed to materialize.

The West also froze some $300 billion in Russian Central Bank (CBR) assets at the start of the invasion, equating to around half of its foreign currency reserves. While there has been a hot debate about whether to mobilize these assets for Ukraine, simply taking so much money out of Russia’s reach was one of the most impactful sanctions, said Keatinge.

“Of course, this has been undermined by the Kremlin's ability to continue to raise foreign income via the sale of oil, so the effectiveness of the CBR asset freeze is reduced every day a Russian tanker is able to deliver oil,” he added.

In terms of tangible impact on the battlefield, Vlasiuk points towards the coalition of countries that prevents critical weapons components from entering Russia, known as the Common High Priority (CHP) item list. It covers everything from microelectronics to CNC machines and extends beyond Western nations to include countries like Malaysia, the Philippines, South Korea, and Taiwan.

“It imposes extra export controls over certain categories of products from the CHP list. And that makes it much more difficult for Russia to get those items imported,” Vlasiuk said.

Imports of these components are still flowing into Russia via third countries, largely in Asia. It is just harder to get them and more costly, leaving the Russian arms sector scrambling to find alternatives.

China denies Ukraine’s allegations of supplying arms, defense components to Russia

China’s reaction follows remarks by the head of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service, Oleh Ivashchenko, about Beijing allegedly providing defense components to 20 Russian military-industrial manufacturing facilities.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova

What’s next?

Amid Washington’s oscillating policy, EU sanctions chief David O'Sullivan warned of disunity on the sanctions front, German media Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) reported on May 27. Although even if the U.S. doesn’t end up imposing new sanctions, its current ones should remain in place, Vlasiuk said.

Fortunately for Ukraine, the EU is much more definitive on its sanctions policy. Brussels believes they are working and threatened “massive” sanctions if Russia rejects ceasefire proposals, which Moscow has so far.

“We are continuing to work on a new package of sanctions, precisely because that seems to be the only language that is understood by President Putin,” European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho told the Kyiv Independent.

The 18th package will be ready “as soon as possible,” Anita Hipper, European Commission Foreign Affairs Spokesperson, said at a press briefing on May 22. It could take time, however, to get signed off by the EU’s problem child, Hungary, which has slowed down previous sanction efforts.

Details on the package have not yet been announced. But Hipper said the now destroyed Nord Stream pipelines connecting Europe and Russia would be included, likely to prevent their resurrection, as well as shadow fleet vessels, and crude oil.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on May 16 that Russia’s banking sector would also be included, with potentially 20 more banks disconnected from SWIFT. The EU may also propose lowering the oil price cap from $60 to $45 to further hit Russia’s energy sector.

Some are sceptical that the EU will actually deliver the blow that is really needed. “The problem is that Europe has continuously overpromised and under-delivered,” said Keatinge.

If Brussels is serious, then sanctions really need to tighten up the loopholes, said Vlasiuk. This means not just lowering the oil price cap but also sanctioning shadow fleet captains, prohibiting all maritime services for Russian oil exports, and a total ban on Russian LNG imports to Europe, which hit record levels last year, he said.

Europe should also continue to disconnect the remaining Russian banks from SWIFT, Vlasiuk said. Russia uses cryptocurrencies and third countries' financial systems to circumvent sanctions, and these should be cracked down on too, he added.

There are also raw material imports that Europe could go after to stop them from getting to Russia’s military sector. Ukraine has identified materials such as titanium, antimony, beryllium, lithium, and carbon fiber as potential targets.

“The Russian military defense sector is also very dependent not just on the microelectronics and cutting-edge technologies but also on selected raw materials and critical minerals,” Vlasiuk said.

“Sanctions work and we just need more,” he added.

Alex Cadier contributed reporting to this story.

Note from the author:

Hi, this is Dominic Culverwell, thanks for reading this story. Sanctions are a topic many find difficult to wrap their head around, and I hope this story helped you understand their impact. It's important to us that our readers are as informed as possible. To help keep our stories accessible to all, please consider becoming part of our community for just $5 a month. We are so close to our goal of 20,000 members! Sign up here.

US blocks G7 push to tighten Russian oil price cap, Financial Times reports

The proposal was dropped after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent reportedly declined to support it.

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on May 27 that Moscow would welcome a second round of peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul, he said during a joint press conference with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan.

“If you ask me, I would turn to our Turkish friends again — Istanbul is very good,” Lavrov said, according to state-owned news agency TASS.

The proposal comes as global diplomacy searches for a venue for negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow after the May 16 talks failed to achieve the ceasefire Ukraine has pushed for.  

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 19 that Ukraine is open to a new round of talks in Turkey, Switzerland, or the Vatican. Lavrov, however, cast doubt on the Vatican as a host, arguing that it would be an unsuitable platform for talks between “Orthodox countries.”

The Turkish foreign minister, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky during his visit, reaffirmed Ankara’s readiness to facilitate future talks.

Fidan is expected to travel to Ukraine later this week following his two-day trip to Moscow.

Turkey previously hosted peace negotiations in March 2022. Since then, Ankara has maintained active contact with both Kyiv and Moscow and facilitated multiple prisoner exchanges, as well as the now-defunct Black Sea Grain Initiative.

No official date or venue for a second round of talks has been agreed. The renewed discussion about potential locations follows a May 19 call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin.

During the call, Putin rejected Ukraine’s proposal for an immediate ceasefire and instead suggested preparing a “memorandum” outlining a future peace framework.

Since the call, Russia has launched one of its most intense waves of aerial attacks, including more than 600 drones and dozens of missiles over a single weekend.

Why Trump needs to follow through and trigger the ‘downfall of Russia’

Despite months of resisting President Donald Trump’s peace process, the U.S. has yet to take a single concrete step to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin into ending his full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentOleksii Kovalenko