Ukraine would like U.S. President Donald Trump to be present at a potential meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrinform reported on May 23, citing Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.

"(W)e are also working on… a meeting between President Zelensky and Putin. We admit that this meeting may be in an expanded format. We would very much like President Trump to join it," Sybiha said.

The foreign minister noted the continuation of peace talks must be unconditional, adding that “we are waiting for the Russian side to present their vision, their concept, their proposals on the parameters of a future unconditional ceasefire."

On May 23, Ukraine and Russia began a previously agreed-upon prisoner exchange, the largest swap since Russia began its war against Ukraine in 2014. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Russia would only submit the draft “settlement document” after the ongoing prisoner exchange is completed.

Kyiv is also working on a peace proposal of its own to share with Moscow, Sybiha said, adding that aside from “pseudo-historical lectures by the Russian delegation,” an agreement on the prisoner exchange was already reached between the two sides in Turkey on May 16.

Ukraine has “always consistently insisted that Europe must be at the table of possible future negotiations,” Sybiha said.

Zelensky invited Putin to meet him face-to-face at the Istanbul talks. Putin refused, sending a delegation head by his aide, Vladimir Medinsky.

The talks were largely inconclusive. Moscow reiterated maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.

Chaos to coordination: the evolution of POW swaps in the Russia-Ukraine war

The nature, size, and political significance of prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia have evolved significantly over the three and a half years of the full-scale war, accelerating sharply in recent weeks. While ceasefire and peace negotiations have gone through periods of halts and bursts, increasingly institutionalized prisoner exchanges are

The Kyiv IndependentMykolaj Suchy

The nature, size, and political significance of prisoner exchanges between Ukraine and Russia have evolved significantly over the three and a half years of the full-scale war, accelerating sharply in recent weeks.

While ceasefire and peace negotiations have gone through periods of halts and bursts, increasingly institutionalized prisoner exchanges are one of the few enduring areas of direct cooperation between Ukraine and the Russian Federation.

On average, Ukraine and Russia exchanged 135 prisoners — mostly military, but with a sizable civilian component – each month from February 2022 through May 2025 (excluding the planned 1,000 for 1,000 exchange that began on May 23). But a deeper inspection of the data reveals a number of meaningful trends.

Prisoner exchange numbers have surged — 277 individuals changed hands in April, and this weekend alone, 1,000 brave Ukrainians will come home. The picture is unrecognizable from last year, when prisoners were only returned on special occasions and holidays. Prisoner exchanges have been shaped by competing (and sometimes mutually exclusive) priorities including backchannel logistics, battlefield developments, and geopolitics. New data collected by KI Insights, an analytical research unit backed by the Kyiv Independent, gives a look behind the curtain into the institutionalization of prisoner exchanges.

The full-scale invasion brought two meaningful institutional changes to prisoner exchanges. Firstly, Russia became an official party to the conflict, creating room to directly engage in negotiations. (Before the full-scale invasion, the Russian Federation denied its involvement in aggression in Ukraine, and negotiations were done through Russian-backed proxies in occupied Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts.)

Secondly, Ukraine created the Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, an interagency working group created by the Cabinet of Ministers in March of 2022, which is responsible for prisoner exchanges. Since its creation, the Coordination Headquarters has gone through meaningful changes. Roles and responsibilities have changed hands, priorities have been defined, and each agency has a specific process it is responsible for. Kyrylo Budanov, leader of the Coordination Headquarters (since June of 2022, taking over from Iryna Vereshchuk) and Ukraine’s chief of military intelligence, has successfully turned prisoner exchanges into an institution.

Data collected by KI Insights demonstrates the impact of institutionalization. The average number of prisoners swapped per exchange has steadily increased, growing by approximately 50% each year. The number of swaps, however, has been inconsistent, with frequent breakdowns until late last year. In 2022, an average of 50 prisoners were returned to Ukraine per exchange. In 2025, the number has risen to more than 200, with this weekend’s exchanges driving the number higher.

The Istanbul negotiations failed to achieve a ceasefire, proving once again, Russia does not want peace. But for the prisoners who returned home, they were meaningful. The exchange also underscores an interesting dynamic of this war.  There are lines of communication between Ukraine and Russia, and enough trust between officials to work together to return prisoners home. That is significant — the current frontline in Ukraine is more than 1,200 kilometers long, and any ceasefire will require significant amounts of communication and trust between Ukrainian and Russian officials.

Russia has broken off prisoner exchanges at key points over the war, often when Russia thinks it can inflict maximum psychological damage. Following the siege of Mariupol and Ukraine’s unsuccessful counteroffensive, Russia froze prisoner exchanges. Russian soldiers also tortured and killed Ukrainian prisoners of war at Olenivka Prison and on the battlefield. Refusing to return prisoners is a tactic Russia uses to exploit existing divisions in Ukrainian society and exploit the pain of families of the imprisoned as a political resource.

For Russia, prisoners are resources — for psychological warfare and for bargaining. While pressure from the United States hasn’t brought Russia to the table for a ceasefire, it likely has caused Russian President Vladimir Putin to make a show of reasonableness by agreeing to a prisoner exchange.

The latest exchange is historic and could be a tipping point that helps U.S. President Donald Trump realize that U.S. pressure on Russia makes a difference. It could also solidify the shadowy infrastructure built between warring states and set the stage for an all-for-all prisoner exchange. Maybe it could, as Trump puts it, “lead to something big???” Even if it doesn’t, it is a battle won on the road to returning Ukrainians to Ukraine.

BREAKING: Ukraine, Russia hold largest prisoner swap since start of Russia’s war

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram that 390 Ukrainian prisoners had been exchanged as part of the first stage of the swap.

The Kyiv IndependentDaria Shulzhenko

Finland is “closely monitoring and assessing Russia’s activities and intentions” near the Finnish border, the country’s Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen told AFP on May 22.

The comments come after reports that Finland expects a Russian military build-up on its borders after the war in Ukraine ends.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, NATO officials have increasingly warned Moscow could attack the alliance’s members in the coming years.

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023.

“We have excellent capabilities to observe Russian operations. As a member of the alliance, Finland holds a strong security position,” Hakkanen said.

He also added that Russia’s actions aimed to strengthen its armed forces “have not come as a surprise to Finland,” but, at the same time, Finnish society “has invested broadly in preparedness for all types of disruptions and crises."

Major General Sami Nurmi, the head of strategy of the Finnish defense forces, said in an interview on May 21 that the Russian military has begun “moderate preparations when it comes to building infrastructure” close to Finnish borders.

Previously, on May 19, the New York Times published satellite images which seem to indicate an expansion of military facilities near the Finnish border.

The Finnish Border Guard announced the completion of the first 35 km (22 miles) of a planned 200 km fence along its eastern border with Russia on May 21.

The border has been closed for over a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating a “hybrid operation” by directing asylum seekers toward Finland.

Finnish authorities claim that these hybrid tactics have intensified since the country joined NATO in 2023.

U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked about Russia’s recent actions on May 20, said that he had “no concerns,” assuring that Finland and Norway would remain “very safe."

“It doesn’t concern me at all. They’re totally safe. These are two countries that will be very safe,” Trump said.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said last December that Russia must be ready for a potential conflict with NATO in the next 10 years.

Moscow has also issued a number of veiled and overt threats to the West over its support for Kyiv, including warnings of a possible nuclear response.

NATO countries in Russia’s vicinity have intensified their preparations for a possible conflict. Poland and the Baltic countries moved to abandon a treaty banning land mines and are strengthening the borders shared with Russia and its ally Belarus while urging higher defense spending across the alliance.

Ukraine’s new drone strategy — cripple Moscow’s airports, make Russian population ‘pay’

Hundreds of Ukrainian kamikaze drones have flown towards Moscow in recent weeks. None appear to have even reached the Russian capital, yet the effect on the city — and the wider country — has been hugely significant. Ukrainian drones have forced at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1,

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

An exchange of prisoners of war (POWs) between Ukraine and Russia taking place on May 23 is still ongoing, a source familiar with the exchange told the Kyiv Independent, after U.S. President Donald Trump said the swap had been “completed."

“A major prisoner swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine. It will go into effect shortly,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post around 12:40 p.m. Kyiv time.

“Congratulation to both sides on this negotiation. This could lead to something big?” he added.

The planned exchange, involving 1,000 detainees from each side, follows an agreement reached between Ukrainian and Russian delegations during talks in Istanbul on May 16, 2025.

If completed, it would mark the largest POW exchange between Kyiv and Moscow in the 11 years since Russia’s war against Ukraine began.

Prisoner swaps remain one of the few areas of ongoing cooperation between the two countries. The most recent exchange occurred on May 6, when 205 Ukrainian soldiers were returned in a one-for-one format.

Ukraine has long advocated for an “all-for-all” exchange, but Russia has so far resisted the proposal. Kyiv has not disclosed the total number of Ukrainian prisoners of war being held in Russian custody.

Ukraine’s new drone strategy — cripple Moscow’s airports, make Russian population ‘pay’

Hundreds of Ukrainian kamikaze drones have flown towards Moscow in recent weeks. None appear to have even reached the Russian capital, yet the effect on the city — and the wider country — has been hugely significant. Ukrainian drones have forced at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1,

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

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

Russian authorities have been forced to shut down airports in Moscow amid a barrage of Ukrainian drone strikes overnight, Russian officials and state media reported on May 23.

Operations have been suspended at Moscow’s Vnukovo, Domodedovo, and Zhukovsky airports. According to Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, Russian air defense allegedly shot down six drones that were “flying toward Moscow."

At 2:41 a.m. local time, Sobyanin reported that three more drones were allegedly shot down.

Emergency services are working at the impact site. There are no reported casualties.

For three consecutive nights, Ukraine has launched massive waves of drones deep into Russian territory.

Between the evening of May 20 and the morning of May 22, Russia claims to have shot down 485 drones on its territory.

The latest strikes come amid a concerted Ukrainian drone campaign to disrupt air travel in Russia. Ukraine has launched hundreds of drones, forcing at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1.

Trump tells European leaders Putin doesn’t want peace because he believes Russia winning war in Ukraine, WSJ reports

U.S. Donald Trump’s reported statement marked the first time he acknowledged to European leaders the thing they and Kyiv have long maintained — the Kremlin has no intention of ending its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Denisova

Russia is now saying the quiet part out loud. It has no intention of stopping the war in Ukraine.

We in Ukraine knew this all along, of course, but to sate the demands of international diplomacy, Moscow and Washington have engaged in a now more than two-month-long peace process that has achieved nothing other than demonstrating that neither is willing to do what is necessary to achieve it.

Russia has apparently grown tired of its leading role in the charade and, emboldened by what is now the almost certain knowledge it will face no repercussions from the U.S. President Donald Trump, is openly bragging about having no interest in negotiations with Ukraine or a ceasefire.

"We don’t want this anymore," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 21, confirming what his boss told Trump in a phone call two days earlier — that the Kremlin is not ready for peace in Ukraine because it believes it is winning the war.

Trump was furious at the news, apoplectic that Putin had been stringing him along and humiliating him all this time, swiftly imposing the long-threatened sanctions, as European leaders rallied together.

Oh, wait, sorry, this is what should have happened if there had been even an ounce of logic and decency left in this situation.

In reality, Trump barely shrugged, apparently content that he’s keeping Russian money-making opportunities on the table, while the EU’s latest sanctions are so ineffective it’s been left up to Ukraine itself to explain to the bloc how it could maybe try and make them a bit tougher.

It’s beginning to feel a bit like, despite all the rhetoric, the only player who truly wants the war to end is Ukraine.

Any notion of a peace process is effectively over, and there’s only one remaining hope — those Americans who actually mean what they say and truly want the war to end must follow through and finally apply some good old-fashioned global superpower pressure on Russia.

Yes, U.S. senators, we’re talking to you.

One way the war can end is if the U.S. makes Russia end it. Russia, and Russia alone, is responsible for the violence being inflicted in this war.

Take a recent example — only two Ukrainian civilians were killed by Russian violence on May 8. Only two — that may sound cynical, and is in no way meant to detract from two tragedies, but the number is hugely significant.

The day before, on May 7, 14 people were killed and 54 others injured. In Kyiv on May 7, we spent the night in bomb shelters and hallways, listening to the sounds of ballistic missiles exploding, and attack drones flying overhead and crashing into people's homes.

Overnight on May 8, we slept uninterrupted throughout the night.

What was the difference between these two days? On May 8, a three-day ceasefire unilaterally proposed by the Kremlin came into effect.

Now let's get one thing straight — the Kremlin's ceasefire was a sham, announced without consulting Ukraine, with the sole purpose of not embarrassing Russian President Vladimir Putin by forcing the cancellation of his Victory Day parade on May 9.

The Kremlin also violated it, and in addition to the two deaths noted above, Ukrainian soldiers told the Kyiv Independent that Russian forces were still active and attacking on the front lines.

But Russia suspended a major part of its military operations — aerial attacks against Ukrainian cities — and the immediate effect was a dramatic reduction in civilian deaths.

April was one of the deadliest months for civilians during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine — at least 209 civilians were killed, including 19 children, and 1,146 others were injured, all by Russian missiles, drones, and bombs.

Inadvertently, Russia's ceasefire proved the one thing that Putin wouldn’t admit — that Russia and Russia alone is responsible for the violence being inflicted in this war.

It is in Russia’s power to stop the war any moment, unilaterally, and to end the violence, as it showed with the ceasefire. But it won’t do it.  

The same is true on the front lines.

Where their armies clash, Ukraine, as the defending side, is reportedly responsible for the majority of the killing, as it’s conducting just and legal self-defense against Russian soldiers committing an unprovoked and illegal invasion of another sovereign nation.

For this killing to end, Russia can simply stop attacking. Aside from the personal humiliation of one man — Putin — Russia would suffer nothing, and lose nothing, from stopping the war.

Ukraine doesn’t have the same choice. It cannot end the fighting as long as Russia keeps attacking. It has everything to lose, and the violence its armed forces inflicts is committed in the name of survival, not conquest.

Even Ukrainian offensive operations like drone strikes into Russian territory are carried out in an attempt to deprive the Kremlin war machine of ammunition, fuel, and money, in an effort to aid Ukraine's survival.

This is the prism through which Washington should have viewed the U.S.-led peace process, but since Trump took office, the opposite has been true.

The U.S. has been applying pressure not on Russia, but on Ukraine, which has no choice other than to do what is required to survive.

In stark contrast, Russia remains unpunished by the Trump administration and is instead being wooed.

But there is still hope — the U.S.'s actions towards Russia are not solely in the hands of the president, and we know there are plenty of people on Capitol Hill who don't agree with the course that is currently being charted.

For one, U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham's sanctions bill, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, needs to be passed. Americans need to reach out to their representatives in Congress to demand that their elected officials support the bill.

If Americans want to show they won’t be complicit in appeasement, they should raise their voices for Ukraine — and for accountability — starting with this bill.

Ukraine’s new drone strategy — cripple Moscow’s airports, make Russian population ‘pay’

Hundreds of Ukrainian kamikaze drones have flown towards Moscow in recent weeks. None appear to have even reached the Russian capital, yet the effect on the city — and the wider country — has been hugely significant. Ukrainian drones have forced at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1,

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

• Mass Ukrainian drone strike targets Moscow, Russia claims, multiple airports closed
• 9 Ukrainian children rescued from Russian-occupied territories, President's Office says
• Trump tells European leaders Putin doesn’t want peace because he believes Russia winning war in Ukraine, WSJ reports
• Kyiv proposes EU partners help directly fund Ukrainian military under new model
• Russia says 159 Ukrainian drones shot down in less than a day

Russian air defense systems shot down 105 Ukrainian drones overnight on May 22, including 35 intercepted over Moscow Oblast, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said that all the drones were flying toward the Russian capital.

Due to the drone attack, all four Moscow airports — Sheremetyevo, Vnukovo, Domodedovo and Zhukovsky — as well as airports in Tambov and Vladimir were temporarily closed.

Other Ukrainian drones were also shot down over the Oryol, Kursk, Belgorod, Tula, Kaluga, Voronezh, Lipetsk, Smolensk, and Bryansk oblasts, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

Tula Oblast Governor Dmitry Milyaev said one of the drones crashed into the roof of an apartment building in Tula. The attack also damaged other residential and non-residential buildings, he said.

Russian authorities haven't reported any other damage or reported any casualties.

Later on May 22, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed that 485 Ukrainian drones had been downed over the past three days, from May 20 to May 22, including 63 over Moscow Oblast.

Kyiv hasn't commented on the attacks. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the reports.

Ukraine’s new drone strategy — cripple Moscow’s airports, make Russian population ‘pay’

Hundreds of Ukrainian kamikaze drones have flown towards Moscow in recent weeks. None appear to have even reached the Russian capital, yet the effect on the city — and the wider country — has been hugely significant. Ukrainian drones have forced at least 217 temporary airport closures across Russia since Jan. 1,

The Kyiv IndependentTim Zadorozhnyy

9 Ukrainian children rescued from Russian-occupied territories, President's Office says

Ukraine has brought nine more children from Russian-occupied territories to Ukrainian-controlled areas, Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said on May 22.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has identified over 19,500 children who have been forcibly deported to Russia, Belarus, or occupied territories. So far, only around 1,300 of them have been safely brought to Ukrainian government-controlled territory.

Among the rescued children is a girl whose life was in danger due to the lack of adequate medical care in the occupied territories, and a boy who, along with his mother, was locked in a basement by Russian forces while his father was tortured in a nearby room, Yermak said.

Others include two sisters who didn't leave their home for nearly three years because of constant shelling and the presence of Russian tanks, and a teenage girl who was cut off from online schooling due to communication blockades imposed by Russian forces.

"These children lived through horrors," Yermak said in a statement. "We are fulfilling the president's task: to bring all children back home."

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Trump tells European leaders Putin doesn’t want peace because he believes Russia winning war in Ukraine, WSJ reports

U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ready for peace in Ukraine because he believes he is winning the war, the Wall Street Journal reported on May 22, citing three undisclosed sources.

Trump's reported statement marked the first time he acknowledged to European leaders what they and Kyiv have long maintained — the Kremlin has no intention of ending its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The conversation on May 19 reportedly included President Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Earlier the same day, Trump held a phone call with Putin, days after largely inconclusive negotiations in Istanbul, where Russia sent a delegation of low-level officials.

European leaders on the call reportedly seemed "surprised" that Trump was "relatively content" with what he heard from Putin, Axios reported on May 20.

Why Washington failed to end the Russo-Ukrainian War

In the early 19th century, one of the founding fathers of modern war studies, the Prussian general and military historian Carl von Clausewitz, commented on the Napoleonic Wars: “The conqueror is always peace-loving; he would much prefer to march into our state calmly.” This remains an observation that applies to

The Kyiv IndependentAndreas Umland

Kyiv proposes EU partners help directly fund Ukrainian military under new model

Ukraine is requesting the EU begin financially supporting its armed forces starting in 2026, pitching the idea as a practical way to strengthen Europe's collective defense and share the cost of containing Russian aggression, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said on May 22.

The EU hasn't so far directly funded Ukraine's military, but member states provide weapons and other assistance through national programs and broader EU support packages.

Marchenko said Kyiv is proposing a new model: European partners would help fund the Ukrainian military, and in return, Ukraine would be further integrated into the continent's defense system.

"I am convinced that this decision has a number of strategic advantages for Ukraine, including maintaining financial stability in 2026 and beyond," Marchenko said in a statement following meetings with G7 finance leaders in Canada.

"And for the EU — protection from potential Russian aggression. After all, the Ukrainian army has all the experience necessary for this."

Under the proposal, the cost of supporting Ukraine's military would represent only a small fraction of the EU's combined GDP, Marchenko said, and could be shared among countries willing to participate. These contributions could count toward NATO defense spending targets.

Russia says 159 Ukrainian drones shot down in less than a day

Russian air defenses reportedly intercepted more than 150 Ukrainian drones over several regions, including areas near the capital, in what appears to be one of the largest such aerial assaults, Russia's Defense Ministry said on May 22.

For at least two days in a row, Ukraine has launched massive waves of drones deep into Russian territory. Between the evening of May 20 and the morning of May 22, Russia claims to have shot down 485 drones on its territory.

According to the Russian military, 159 drones were destroyed between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Moscow time on May 22. The ministry said Ukrainian drones were intercepted across multiple central and western regions, including Moscow, where 22 drones were reportedly shot down. The surrounding regions of Kursk, Oryol, Tula, and others also came under attack, with dozens of drones intercepted in each area.

The ministry described the drones as fixed-wing, aircraft-type unmanned aerial vehicles. The Kyiv Independent couldn't independently verify the claims. Ukrainian authorities have not commented.

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.

Ukraine is requesting the EU begin financially supporting its armed forces starting in 2026, pitching the idea as a practical way to strengthen Europe’s collective defense and share the cost of containing Russian aggression, Ukrainian Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said on May 22.

The EU hasn’t so far directly funded Ukraine’s military, but member states provide weapons and other assistance through national programs and broader EU support packages.

Marchenko said Kyiv is proposing a new model: European partners would help fund the Ukrainian military, and in return, Ukraine would be further integrated into the continent’s defense system.

“I am convinced that this decision has a number of strategic advantages for Ukraine, including maintaining financial stability in 2026 and beyond,” Marchenko said in a statement following meetings with G7 finance leaders in Canada.

“And for the EU — protection from potential Russian aggression. After all, the Ukrainian army has all the experience necessary for this."

Under the proposal, the cost of supporting Ukraine’s military would represent only a small fraction of the EU’s combined GDP, Marchenko said, and could be shared among countries willing to participate. These contributions could count toward NATO defense spending targets.

“Over the past three years, Ukraine has received more than $133 billion in international financial aid,” he said. “This support enabled the government to preserve macro-financial stability during full-scale war, ensure salary payments to teachers, doctors, and public servants, and continue pensions and social support for the most vulnerable."

“The financial system still faces challenges, which makes continued external support absolutely critical,” the minister said.

With war still raging and Russia showing no signs of backing down, Marchenko argued that relying solely on building up national armies across Europe could take years and require enormous resources.

U.S. President Donald Trump proposed a full ceasefire in March. Ukraine immediately agreed, and the plan was supported by European leaders.

Russia has consistently refused, culminating in a phone call on May 19 between Trump and President Vladimir Putin, during which Putin once again rejected the proposal and instead demanded a “memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty."

On May 16, Russia initiated peace talks in Istanbul but sent only a low-level delegation led by Putin aide Vladimir Medinsky and reiterated demands that Kyiv cede Crimea and four eastern regions. President Putin and Lavrov were both absent.

Recently, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov virtually confirmed Moscow has no interest in negotiations or a ceasefire, saying on May 21 that “we don’t want this anymore."

Why Washington failed to end the Russo-Ukrainian War

In the early 19th century, one of the founding fathers of modern war studies, the Prussian general and military historian Carl von Clausewitz, commented on the Napoleonic Wars: “The conqueror is always peace-loving; he would much prefer to march into our state calmly.” This remains an observation that applies to

The Kyiv IndependentAndreas Umland

For many years, Vladimir Putin has sought to use sports as a symbol of Russian might – a tradition that goes back to Soviet-era Olympics showdowns with the West.

And lately the Russian Republic of Dagestan has been producing some of the country’s finest athletes in Mixed Martial Arts, a combat sport that combines elements from multiple different fighting disciplines.

Many Dagestani fighters have become among the best in the world’s premiere MMA promotion, the Ultimate Fighting Championship or UFC.

These include such famous fighters as Khabib Nurmagomedov, his younger brother Usman Nurmagomedov, and his friend Islam Makhachev.

Khabib became the UFC lightweight champion in 2018, and is widely considered one of the greatest fighters ever.

His rise to stardom did not go unnoticed by the Kremlin, where the popularity and authority of Dagestani athletes are viewed as a valuable resource for achieving political aims. Putin and his inner circle attribute individual athletic successes to the state, pushing the narrative of a ‘strong Russia.’

Yet, there's a lesser-known part of Khabib’s life: his career got its start in Ukraine, using a method taught by his first coach from a small Ukrainian town. After the full-scale invasion, athletes like Khabib appear to avoid publicly mentioning their past in Ukraine. On the world stage, Khabib is perceived as purely Russian.

But Khabib repeatedly applied for Ukrainian citizenship – but failed to do so.

The omission of his Ukrainian ties helps bolster Russia’s reputation on the world stage. And ultimately, Russian leaders seem to be acutely aware that today's sympathy for a sports champion can turn into tomorrow's tolerance for the authoritarian state.

After the fighter’s 2018 victory to become the UFC’s lightweight champion, during a meeting with Putin, the Russian president emphasized that Khabib was competing as a symbol of Russian might:

"Yes, of course, you weren't competing for any team, you were there in a personal capacity, not even representing the country. You performed in a personal capacity, but you are, after all, a citizen of Russia.”

But in reality, the roots of Khabib’s skills and knowledge can be traced back to Ukraine. For example, Khabib's debut fight was in the Ukrainian city of Poltava on September 13, 2008. He lived here for some time and visited frequently afterward. This is also the city where his uncles and his father, his head coach, began their careers.

The Russian champion’s Ukrainian roots:

Khabib Nurmagomedov's career was largely shaped by his father Abdulmanap Nurmagomedov, who was himself an elite athlete and Khabib’s personal coach.

His father, as well as his uncles – Abdulnasir and Nurmagomed – were born in Dagestan. During the Soviet era, they all moved to the Ukrainian city of Poltava, where they enrolled in what is now the Poltava University of Economics and Trade.

Around that time, alongside their studies, they began practicing martial arts. At different times, they all trained with the same Ukrainian coach – Petro Butrii, now a 74-year-old master of Sambo and Judo.

"He [Abdulmanap, Khabib's father] came to train, and in four years of training, he achieved great success in Sambo and Judo," Butrii told The Counteroffensive.

According to Butrii, Abdulmanap's mother fell ill in the ‘90s, so at her request, Abdulmanap returned to Dagestan. He still traveled to Ukraine several times a year, though, and brought Khabib with him when he was a young boy.

During one of these visits, Butrii gifted him tatami mats, Japanese straw mats for covering the floor. Khabib's father took them to Dagestan and used them to equip his gym. He also utilized Butrii's training methodology, which he had learned at a Ukrainian university during the Soviet era.

Khabib's uncle also confirmed this: "Petr Ivanovych was constantly with us as a coach. Abdulmanap is currently training [in 2018] Khabib using the same methods. When it was difficult for him, he would bring his son here [to Ukraine]," Abdulnasir said in a 2018 interview with Sport Express.

The Ukrainian Butrii and the Russian Khabib family had a remarkably close relationship.

"They [Abdulmanap and Khabib] would come to me and train at my club and lived across the street... They have a very respectable, hardworking family... They treated me like a father. Even their grandfather, when he was here, once gathered them and said that their father was not him, but Petro Ivanovych was," Butrii said.

Eventually, Khabib Nurmagomedov also started training with Butrii as he got older.

"Then, as Khabib began his journey to the top, we constantly communicated, had conversations about his mistakes... We constantly analyzed each of his fights," Butrii told The Counteroffensive.

In 2008, Khabib began his professional career. That same year, in Poltava, he won his first fight, for which he earned approximately $2,000. After that fight, he gifted Petro Butrii a cup painted in the Dagestani style.

Competing for a Ukrainian club, and then applying for Ukrainian citizenship:

After that, Khabib trained in his homeland for a while. In 2009, he won the M-1 Global mixed martial arts competition in Russia. The next year, he won the same competition again, but this time in Ukraine, representing the Kyiv club 'Combat-Dobro.'

Overall, between 2010 and 2011, he had nine professional fights representing the Kyiv club. While in Poltava, Khabib trained continuously for four years, and for six years altogether.

He would eventually move to California, winning his debut fight in the UFC.

But Khabib continued to visit Ukraine. In 2016, he came to Poltava to see his two uncles, Abdulnasir and Nurmagomed, who are citizens of Ukraine.

Khabib also wanted to become a citizen of Ukraine but was repeatedly denied.

"We put in maximum effort for Khabib to receive Ukrainian citizenship. We value, love, and respect Ukraine and its people... I don't know how they considered it, but there was always a refusal. And it wasn't just once, but four or five times. So we stopped asking," Abdulnasir said in 2018.

Abdulnasir, who with Khabib's other uncle Nurmagomed moved to Germany after the full-scale invasion started, told The Counteroffensive the family unsuccessfully tried to get citizenship for Khabib around 2006-2007.

Rizvan Magomedov, Khabib's manager, did not respond to a request for comment from The Counteroffensive on the athlete's citizenship and stance on the war.

Ukraine's State Migration Service and Ministry of Internal Affairs said they can't disclose the reason Khabib Nurmagomedov was denied Ukrainian citizenship without his personal consent.

Khabib's last public visit to Ukraine was in 2018. At that time, he visited athletes at the 'Hermes' and 'Combat-Dobro' clubs, for which he had previously competed.

Putin’s usage of Khabib’s prestige for Russian pride

Despite these long-standing, deep ties with Ukraine, and even the desire at one point to obtain citizenship, Khabib continued to meet with Putin.

Recognizing the influence of Khabib and other athletes on youth in Russia and their international prestige, Putin used him for imperial benefit. His public dealings with Putin began in 2018, shortly after his victory over Irish MMA fighter Conor McGregor. Putin congratulated Khabib by phone, and they later met in person. During their televised meeting, Putin stressed that the athlete represented Russia and played up their 'familial' unity.

"We, within the country – I believe we are one big family," Putin said.

Later that same year, Khabib Nurmagomedov was a speaker at the Synergy Global Forum, one of Russia's largest business forums. This event was organized by Synergy University, a private Russian university that partially received Russian state funding and has indirect ties to the Kremlin.

During the event, Khabib presented his autobiography, 'Khabib Time,' in which Putin's 2018 call and support for Khabib feature prominently.

"Public meetings with such athletes are part of the image of a 'strong Russiaʼ that values its own and nurtures values. Obviously, Russia is the last country that values its own and nurtures anything human, but the authorities regularly use athletes, both domestic and foreign, to create the image they need," Rozanov told The Counteroffensive.

In addition to Putin, Khabib met in 2018-2019 with the head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov. His troops have fought in Ukraine and were implicated in the looting, torture, and killing of Ukrainian civilians in the Kyiv region in March 2022.

In October 2020, Khabib defended his championship of the UFC title for the third time and was invited by Putin to meet in the Kremlin once more, though the meeting never took place. Immediately after that fight, Khabib announced his retirement.

"He made a promise to his mother and on top of that, he’s 36 years old, now going to be 37. He always said 35 was the year he would retire," Javier Mendez, Khabib's former coach, told The Counteroffensive.

Khabib since Russia’s invasion:

Since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in early 2022, Khabib has maintained a silent stance. He has neither spoken with, nor met with Putin or Kadyrov, at least not publicly.

He has, however, found himself thrust into politics.

In June 2024, during a UFC tournament in New Jersey, footage captured a moment of Khabib speaking with Donald Trump. The athlete expressed hope that Trump could stop the war in Gaza.

Later, on the Impaulsive podcast, Trump clarified that Khabib had spoken about wars in the plural.

Also, according to Trump, Khabib is close to Putin.

"I think he's friends or was friends, but I think he is friends with Putin very much. But he said we have to stop the killing," Trump said.

Despite Khabib's past connections to Ukraine, he has stayed mum on the killings of civilians by Putin's army, even in Ukrainian cities that had once been his home away from home.

This silence is particularly striking given his previous stay in Poltava, a city now subjected to Russian shelling of civilian infrastructure.

NEWS OF THE DAY:

Good morning to readers; Kyiv remains in Ukrainian hands.

CHINA OPPOSES EU SANCTIONS TARGETING RUSSIA: Earlier this week, the EU adopted the 17th package of sanctions against Russia’s shadow fleet and companies supplying components used to manufacture drones. Chinese and UAE enterprises were on that list, too.

A China spokesperson stated that China is promoting peace talks and “never provided lethal weapons to parties to the conflict and strictly controls the export of dual-use articles.”

However, it was reported that China is the leading supplier of critical components for Russian weaponry. Moreover, Ukrainian Armed Forces have captured Chinese soldiers fighting against Ukraine.

UKRAINE TO WITHDRAW FROM TREATIES WITH RUSSIA, BELARUS: The Ukrainian government has approved termination, withdrawal and denunciation of eight international agreements with Russia and Belarus, signed within the CIS – an organization created to regulate cooperation between post-Soviet states.

One of these agreements with Russia is reserve of supplies and payment for Russian natural gas to Ukraine. Amid EU’s and UK’s tightened sanctions, Ukraine is cutting all ties with Russia and terminating the treaties that have been ratified and in force.

RUSSIA GROWS MILITARY PRESENCE NEAR FINLAND: Russia is building up its troops and infrastructure near the border with Finland, The Guardian reported.

On Wednesday, Finland finished the first 35 kilometers of the fence on the border with Russia, out of 200 planned. This construction is intended to protect Finland from Russian immigrants, who Finland believes are deliberately redirected there by the Kremlin as part of a ‘hybrid operation.’ The fence is equipped with cameras and sensors that distinguish between people and animals.

Finland joined the alliance in 2023 and has significantly increased the presence of NATO troops on its territory. Each new NATO member is automatically at risk of a strike or attack from Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia's Security Council, said in late April this year.

DOG OF WAR:

Today’s dog of war is this little dog who patiently waited while his owner did the shopping. He approved Zoriana’s grocery haul with a bark as she exited the store.

Stay safe out there.

Best,
Veronika

In the early 19th century, one of the founding fathers of modern war studies, the Prussian general and military historian Carl von Clausewitz, commented on the Napoleonic Wars: “The conqueror is always peace-loving; he would much prefer to march into our state calmly."

This remains an observation that applies to most military aggressions.

Yet, Clausewitz’s basic idea was ignored by most Europeans in their interpretation of Moscow’s behaviour after the start of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014.

Much of European diplomacy and commentary until 2022 instead built on the assumption that the Kremlin’s public insistence on the peacefulness of its intentions towards Kyiv implies that one can and should negotiate and moderate Russian aims and behaviour in Ukraine.

This inapt premise ignored that Russian President Vladimir Putin merely preferred Ukraine’s non-violent takeover to an uncertain future military campaign against Kyiv. When, eleven years ago, Russia annexed Ukraine’s Crimea and covertly invaded eastern Ukraine, the war as such had no benefits for Putin and his entourage.

Instead, a hybrid subversion of Ukraine by Russian agents and proxy forces, rather than a violent occupation of most of the Ukrainian lands by tens of thousands of regular Russian troops, was the preferred method.

During the last three years, however, the role of Russia’s - now full-scale - military invasion of Ukraine for Putin’s regime has changed. One the one side, the war itself has acquired a stabilizing function for the Russian political system that relies on an increasingly extremist ideology, militarized economy and mobilized society. On the other side, most European politicians, diplomats and experts now have fewer illusions about Putin’s putative love for peace than they had a decade ago.

In contrast, the hitherto largely adequate perception of Moscow’s strategy in Washington has been replaced, since January 2025, by an escapist approach to the Russo-Ukrainian War.

‘It’s all a farce’ — Ukrainian soldiers on Russia’s ‘smokescreen’ peace talks in Istanbul

The first direct peace talks in years between Kyiv and Moscow ended on May 16 with Russia once again rejecting an unconditional 30-day ceasefire. In turn, Russia demanded that Ukrainian troops leave four of the country’s regions, which Moscow partly controls. Such a demand is a non-starter for Ukraine. Ukrainian

The Kyiv IndependentNatalia Yermak

The degree of the new U.S. administration’s political naivety, moral indifference and diplomatic dilettantism, during its first four months in office, has been astonishing. Even in view of the aberrations during Trump’s first presidency of 2017-2021, the inadequacy of the last months' statements and actions by the White House regarding the Russo-Ukrainian War has triggered shockwaves in Europe and elsewhere.

One suspects that not only strategic infantilism, but also political respect and even personal sympathy, in the Trump administration, for Putin, have been driving the recent zigzags of the U.S.

Four months of American shuttle diplomacy and mediation attempts have achieved only little. The results of this week’s two-hour conversation between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump have also been meagre. To be sure, the two presidents spoke, after their telephone talk, of success.

Yet, there are no tangible outcomes of the intense trilateral negotiations between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv, and of the direct interactions between the U.S. and Russian presidents.

Putin made it clear that there would not be any ceasefire soon.

Trump announced that there should be direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, as if the two countries had not been negotiating with each other, in different formats, for more than eleven years already.

In his comment about Monday's phone call, Putin, in fact, engaged in a trolling of Ukraine, the U.S., and the entire West in two ways.

First, the term that Russia has recently introduced and Putin used to label the primary aim to be achieved in upcoming negotiations is "memorandum." Everybody familiar with the history of post-Soviet Russo-Ukrainian relations will know that there exists already a historic security-related "memorandum" signed by Moscow and Kyiv (as well as Washington and London) at Hungary's capital more than 30 years ago.

In the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, Moscow guaranteed, in exchange for Kyiv's agreement to hand over all of its nuclear warheads to Russia, that it would not attack Ukraine. Washington and London too assured Kyiv that they respect the Ukrainian borders and sovereignty.

After Moscow has been demonstratively trampling the letter and spirit of the Budapest Memorandum for eleven years, the Kremlin is now offering to sign another Russo-Ukrainian "memorandum."

Second, Putin did not exclude, after speaking to Trump, that future negotiations with Kyiv may lead to a truce. Yet, the Russian president added that, "if appropriate agreements are reached," a "possible ceasefire" would only be "for a certain period of time." Even if the negotiations are successful, the armistice will be merely temporary.

That caveat by Putin is an apt admission: The Russian war economy and population's military mobilization are now so far advanced that they cannot be easily stopped. Moscow is not any longer able to abruptly discontinue warfighting. What would happen to Russia's hundreds of thousands of enlisted soldiers, large-scale weapons production, and routine bellicose as well as intense Ukrainophobic campaigns in many spheres of Russian social life (education, media, culture etc.), if there is suddenly a permanent peace?

These and similar signals from Moscow allow only one conclusion: To end the Russo-Ukrainian War, Russia needs to experience a humiliating defeat on the battlefield.

The lesson from the past is, moreover, that Russian military failures have triggered domestic liberalization, such as the Great Reforms after the Crimean War of 1854-1856, or the introduction of semi-constitutionalism following the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905.

One of the determinants of Glasnost and Perestroika was the disastrous failure of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979-1989.

Russian imperialism will not be neutralized by negotiations, compromises, or concessions. Instead, such approaches only promote further foreign adventurism in Moscow and military escalation along Russia's borders. The Kremlin will one day end Russia's expansionist wars as well as genocidal terror against civilians in Ukraine and elsewhere. Yet for that to happen, the Russian people first need to start believing that such behaviour cannot lead to victory, may trigger internal collapse, and will be resolutely punished.

‘There we go again’ — For war-weary Europe, Trump-Putin call yet another signal to ‘wake up’

After a two-hour call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia reiterated its refusal for a full ceasefire in the war in Ukraine while the U.S. once again failed to respond with any significant pressure. For observers across Europe, watching the way the negotiations

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

U.S. President Donald Trump told European leaders this week that Russian President Vladimir Putin is not ready for peace in Ukraine because he believes he is winning the war, the Wall Street Journal reported on May 22, citing three undisclosed sources.

Trump’s reported statement marked the first time he acknowledged to European leaders what they and Kyiv have long maintained — the Kremlin has no intention of ending its full-scale war against Ukraine.

The conversation on May 19 reportedly included President Volodymyr Zelensky, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Finnish President Alexander Stubb, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa.

Earlier the same day, Trump held a phone call with Putin, days after largely inconclusive negotiations in Istanbul, where Russia sent a delegation of low-level officials.

European leaders on the call reportedly seemed “surprised” that Trump was “relatively content” with what he heard from Putin, Axios reported on May 20.

Despite U.S. efforts, Putin has shown little willingness to compromise to achieve a settlement. After the call, Putin reiterated Russia’s maximalist demands, denying full ceasefire agreement.

Since taking the office in January, Trump has been inconsistent in his rhetoric toward the Russian leader, at times voicing frustration with the stalled peace efforts but mostly avoiding direct criticism of Putin.

Although Trump now seems to recognize that Putin is not prepared to pursue peace, the White House so far has not yet imposed new sanctions or taken direct steps to penalize Russia, despite growing frustration among allies.

Ukraine accepted the U.S.-backed unconditional 30-day ceasefire when Washington first proposed it on March 11. Russia rejected the proposal and continued its attacks.

‘There we go again’ — For war-weary Europe, Trump-Putin call yet another signal to ‘wake up’

After a two-hour call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia reiterated its refusal for a full ceasefire in the war in Ukraine while the U.S. once again failed to respond with any significant pressure. For observers across Europe, watching the way the negotiations

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Finland expects a Russian military build up on its borders after the war in Ukraine ends, the Guardian reported on May 21.

Maj Gen Sami Nurmi, the head of strategy of the Finnish defence forces said in an interview that the Russian military has begun “moderate preparations when it comes to building infrastructure” close to Finnish borders.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine, NATO officials have increasingly warned Moscow could attack the alliance’s members in the coming years.

Finland shares a 1,300-kilometer (800-mile) border with Russia and joined NATO in 2023.

“They are doing it in phases. I would say it is still moderate numbers. It’s not big construction, but in certain places building new infrastructure and preparing, bringing new equipment in,” Nurma said.

According to Nurma, once the war in Ukraine concludes, the Russian military is expected to begin redeploying its forces involved in the fighting in Ukraine.

“You also have to evaluate whether they are preparing to send more troops to Ukraine or preparing to build up their forces close to our border. But I guess they are doing both,” he added.

Previously, on May 19, the New York Times published satellite images which seem to indicate an expansion of military facilities near the Finnish border.

The Finnish Border Guard announced the completion of the first 35 km (22 miles) of a planned 200 km fence along its eastern border with Russia, on May 21.

The border has been closed for over a year after Helsinki accused Moscow of orchestrating a “hybrid operation” by directing asylum seekers toward Finland.

Finnish authorities claim that these hybrid tactics have intensified since the country joined NATO in 2023.

U.S. President Donald Trump, when asked about Russia’s recent actions on May 20, said that he had “no concerns,” assuring that Finland and Norway would remain “very safe."

“It doesn’t concern me at all. They’re totally safe. These are two countries that will be very safe,” Trump said.

Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov said last December that Russia must be ready for a potential conflict with NATO in the next 10 years. Moscow has also issued a number of veiled and overt threats to the West over its support for Kyiv, including warnings of a possible nuclear response.

NATO countries in Russia’s vicinity have intensified their preparations for a possible conflict. Poland and the Baltic countries moved to abandon a treaty banning land mines and are strengthening the borders shared with Russia and its ally Belarus while urging higher defense spending across the alliance.

47th Brigade battalion commander’s resignation puts Ukraine’s military leadership under new scrutiny

Ukraine’s military has once again been rocked by a scandal around its leadership culture, with another high-profile commander speaking out against the country’s top brass over bad orders leading to excess losses. On May 16, well-renowned officer Oleksandr Shyrshyn, callsign “Genius,” announced his resignation from his position as

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Ukraine is set to pitch a larger number of recommendations to the European Union next week as to how the bloc can continue to ramp up economic pressure on Moscow through sanctions, Reuters reported on May 21.

The additional recommendation penned in the white paper come as U.S. President Donald Trump continues to refuse to adopt additional sanctions on Russia — even as Moscow continues to refuse to accept a 30-day ceasefire.

The New York Times reported on May 20, citing a White House official, that Trump refuses to impose sanctions on Russia as it may hinder future business and trade opportunities with Moscow.

Trump previously said the U.S. would join partners in imposing “further sanctions” if Russia does not agree to an unconditional ceasefire. Despite numerous threats, Trump has never followed through on imposing additional sanctions against Russia.

“Today, in practice, Washington has ceased participation in nearly all intergovernmental platforms focused on sanctions and export control,” the white paper read, according to Reuters. “On the contrary, it should catalyse the EU to assume a leading role in this domain."

Reuters reported that Ukraine will propose to the EU that the bloc speed up the seizure of frozen Russian assets to provide to Kyiv. The additional proposed sanctions would also target foreign companies that assist Russia through the use of technology, and “the introduction of secondary sanctions on purchasers of Russian oil”.

The proposal from Kyiv comes as EU members ponder the implementation of an 18th sanctions package against Russia.

Speaking to reporters in Brussels on May 20, Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys said that harsher sanctions must be imposed as Russian President Vladimir Putin continues to reject a 30-day ceasefire proposal. Budrys further called on the EU to target Russia’s energy, liquid natural gas (LNG), oil, and nuclear fuel exports as well as financial institutions.

President Volodymyr Zelensky echoed similar points in his evening address on May 20, calling for the EU to to apply additional sanctions on “Russian oil, the tanker fleet, all their energy infrastructure that finances the war, all their banks, all financial schemes, and Russia’s military industry."

In its pitch to the EU next week, Kyiv will also encourage the EU to make decisions on future sanctions through a majority vote, not unanimous decision.

In previous decisions, Hungary and Slovakia have attempted to block sanctions packages, citing their skepticism around support for Ukraine.

Politico reported on May 20 that the EU is shifting its focus away from providing development aid toward strategic goals like enforcing sanctions against Russia and building defense partnerships, with resources being redirected to match those priorities.

EU to downsize diplomatic service, prioritize Russia sanctions enforcement, POLITICO reports

The European Union is preparing to downsize its diplomatic service – the European External Action Service (EEAS) – and redirect funds toward strategic interests such as enforcing sanctions against Russia, POLITICO reported on May 20.

The Kyiv IndependentLucy Pakhnyuk

Trump refusing to adopt sanctions against Russia as it would affect business opportunities with Moscow, NYT reports

Speaking to the New York Times on the condition of anonymity, a White House official familiar with the call, said that imposing sanctions could impede Trump’s goal of “maximizing economic opportunities for Americans,” the publication wrote.

The Kyiv IndependentDmytro Basmat

Russia rejects a ceasefire in Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on May 21.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a phone call on May 19 as Ukraine and its allies intensify efforts to end Russia’s war. Putin rejected a ceasefire and instead insisted on negotiating a “memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty."

Lavrov rejected the push to “have a truce and then we’ll see,” claiming that the “root causes” of Russia’s war need to be resolved.

Lavrov accused European leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, of pushing Trump to tighten sanctions against Russia.

“We have already been in these stories, we don’t want this anymore,” Lavrov said, referring to negotiations between Moscow and Ukraine following the onset of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in February 2022.

Russia initiated peace talks with Ukraine, which took place on May 16, following Moscow’s rejection of calls from Ukraine and its allies for an immediate ceasefire. The Kremlin claimed the negotiations would be a resumption of the 2022 peace negotiations.

In the 2022 peace talks and on May 16, Russian authorities issued maximalist demands to Ukraine. On May 14, Russia announced its delegation would consist of low-level officials, led by Putin’s aide, Vladimir Medinsky.

Putin did not attend the Istanbul peace talks on May 16, despite an invitation from President Volodymyr Zelensky to meet him face-to-face.

Lavrov was also absent from the peace talks, signalling Russia’s unwillingness to make progress at the Istanbul negotiations.

The talks were largely inconclusive. Russia reiterated maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.

‘Architect of Yanukovych’s corrupt system’ — Who was Andriy Portnov, a Ukrainian ex-official killed in Spain

Andriy Portnov had been no stranger to controversy. He was the architect of Ukraine’s judiciary, corrupt and unreformed, and had been known to attack everyone who dared to speak out. Portnov was the epitome of a Kremlin-friendly Ukraine of President Viktor Yanukovych, where fair trial was a luxury and civil

The Kyiv IndependentOleg Sukhov

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on May 21 agreed that Russia is an aggressor toward Ukraine, but declined to label Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal.

U.S. President Donald Trump held a phone call with Putin on May 19. Trump’s positive impression of the phone call shocked Ukraine’s allies in Europe as Russia continues to refuse a ceasefire.

Democratic Representative Bill Keating asked Rubio, “Is Russia the aggressor in this Ukraine war?"

“They invaded them, yes,” Rubio said in response.

When asked by Keating if Putin is a war criminal, Rubio admitted war crimes have been committed in Ukraine, but declined to label the Russian leader as a war criminal.

“War crimes have been committed, no doubt, and who is responsible for that, there will be a time and place for that accountability, but right now the job is to end the war,” Rubio said when questioned by the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, on May 7, agreed when asked if he considered Putin a war criminal.

When asked, “Do you consider Vladimir Putin a war criminal?” by Democratic Representative Juan Vargas, Bessent replied, saying, “Yes."

When Vargas asked, “Would you negotiate with a war criminal?” Bessent replied, saying, “I think that’s the nature of diplomacy, one must negotiate with both sides, Sir."

The White House has previously been critical of Ukrainian leadership, including President Volodymyr Zelensky. On May 1, Bessent suggested a reset in relations between Ukraine and the U.S. following the signing of a bilateral minerals deal on April 30.

What happens to all the guns in Ukraine post-war?

As peace talks ramp up, experts and officials are already working on a looming post-war threat: the potential large-scale proliferation of guns in Ukraine once they are no longer needed on the battlefield. “When the war ends, Ukraine will not only have to rebuild its infrastructure and resettle displaced people

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

Ukraine is working on a previously agreed-upon 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange with Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on May 21.

“We have to release all our people, unconditionally. We are trying to do the maximum we can. We are trying very hard,” Zelensky said in an evening address on May 21.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on May 17 announced it had launched preparatory steps for the large-scale prisoner exchange with Russia involving 1,000 detainees from each side.

Zelensky noted that Ukraine is ensuring the exchange goes as planned, adding that reports are prepared daily.

The prisoner exchange was agreed upon between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations at the Istanbul peace talks on May 16.

The peace talks were the first direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia since 2022, when Russia issued maximalist demands to Ukraine, including abandoning NATO membership aspirations and making large-scale territorial concessions.

The peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia in Turkey on May 15 led to an agreement on a prisoner exchange but did not yield results in stopping Russia’s war.

At the Istanbul talks, Russia sent a delegation of low-level officials and reiterated maximalist demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four eastern regions.

Instead of a ceasefire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has insisted on negotiating a “memorandum regarding a potential future peace treaty,” the Russian leader said following a phone call with U.S. President Donald Trump on May 19.

Ukraine has long demanded an all-for-all prisoner exchange, but Moscow has so far refused the proposal.

Top commander’s resignation puts new scrutiny on Ukraine’s military leadership

Ukraine’s military has once again been rocked by a scandal around its leadership culture, with another high-profile commander speaking out against the country’s top brass over bad orders leading to excess losses. On May 16, well-renowned officer Oleksandr Shyrshyn, callsign “Genius,” announced his resignation from his position as

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

• Russian semiconductor plant making missile, jet parts hit in Ukrainian attack, military says
• Putin visits Kursk Oblast for first time since Moscow claimed its recapture
• Ukraine dismisses Russian claims of full control over Kursk Oblast, says fighting ongoing
• Russia massing troops near Kharkiv Oblast ahead of possible attack, military warns
• NATO summit in The Hague to focus on long-term support, lasting peace for Ukraine, Rutte says

Ukrainian drones struck Russia's Bolkhov semiconductor plant in Oryol Oblast, which produces parts for Sukhoi warplanes and Iskander and Kinzhal missiles, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said on May 21.

The statement comes after Russia claimed to have downed over 150 Ukrainian drones overnight in multiple regions, including 53 in Oryol Oblast.

The region's governor, Andrey Klychkov, initially reported no damage or casualties, but later said that the semiconductor plant and several residential buildings were damaged.

Ukrainian Telegram channel Supernova+ shared what it claimed to be footage of the burning and damaged facility.

Ten drones hit the plant's premises, resulting in a fire, the General Staff reported. The full consequences of the attack are being determined. The plant has been sanctioned by the U.S. since last year over its role in the Russian military-industrial complex.

The Bolkhov plant is one of Russia's leading producers of semiconductor devices and components, focusing on diodes, microcircuits, optoelectronic switches, and more, the General Staff said.

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Putin visits Kursk Oblast for first time since Moscow claimed its recapture

Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk Oblast, the Kremlin said on May 21, marking his first known visit since Moscow declared it had retaken the Russian border region from Ukrainian forces.

Russia claimed on April 26 that it had completed its operation to liberate Kursk Oblast. Ukraine has refuted the claim, saying that the fighting is ongoing in some areas.

During the visit, Putin met with Acting Governor Alexander Khinshtein, heads of local municipalities, and members of volunteer organizations. He also visited the Kursk Nuclear Power Plant, the Kremlin's press service said. The exact date of the visit was not revealed.

The Russian president previously visited Kursk Oblast in March, which was his first trip to the region since Ukraine began its incursion last summer.

Ukraine launched a cross-border incursion into Kursk Oblast in August 2024, marking the first large-scale invasion of Russian territory by foreign forces since World War II. The operation aimed to disrupt a planned Russian offensive on the neighboring Sumy Oblast and draw Russian forces away from the embattled Donetsk Oblast.

Top commander’s resignation puts new scrutiny on Ukraine’s military leadership

Ukraine’s military has once again been rocked by a scandal around its leadership culture, with another high-profile commander speaking out against the country’s top brass over bad orders leading to excess losses. On May 16, well-renowned officer Oleksandr Shyrshyn, callsign “Genius,” announced his resignation from his position as

The Kyiv IndependentFrancis Farrell

Ukraine dismisses Russian claims of full control over Kursk Oblast, says fighting ongoing

The General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces dismissed on May 21 Russian claims that fighting in Russia's Kursk Oblast has ended, insisting that operations by the Ukrainian military in the border region are ongoing.

"The statements by representatives of (Russia) about the alleged end of combat operations in Kursk Oblast do not reflect the actual situation," the General Staff said in a statement.

Earlier on May 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin reportedly visited Kursk Oblast. It marked Putin's first known visit to the region since Moscow declared on April 26 that it had completed a military operation to liberate the territory from Ukrainian incursions.

Ukrainian forces continue to carry out missions across the border, the military said, adding that while conditions remain difficult, Ukrainian troops are holding their positions and inflicting losses on Russian troops.

Since launching its operation in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine claims Russia has lost 63,402 troops, including 25,625 killed, and that 971 Russian soldiers have been captured. Ukrainian forces also report destroying or damaging 5,664 pieces of Russian military equipment.

EU officially agrees on 150-billion-euro defense fund

“SAFE is an advantageous, low-interest, multi-year loan guaranteed by the EU budget,” the Council of the EU said.

The Kyiv IndependentMartin Fornusek

Russia massing troops near Kharkiv Oblast ahead of possible attack, military warns

Russia may be preparing to launch new attacks in the Kharkiv sector, as indicated by the buildup of its forces near the Ukrainian border, Andrii Pomahaibus, the chief of staff of Ukraine's 13th National Guard Khartiia Brigade, said on May 21.

Speaking to Suspilne, Pomahaibus said that Russia is trying to move its forces closer to the contact line, but has so far failed to carry out attacks.

The reported preparations indicate Moscow's efforts to escalate the war despite calls by Kyiv and its partners for an unconditional 30-day truce.

"There is an accumulation of personnel closer to the state border, that is, there are attempts to involve the (Russian) personnel, obviously preparing for active assault operations. Our Defense Forces are ready to repel attacks," he said.

Trump claims ‘progress’ on ending Russia-Ukraine war

“We are trying to settle Russia-Ukraine,” U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters. “I spoke with President Putin for two hours the day before yesterday. I think we made a lot of progress. But that’s a bloodbath.”

The Kyiv IndependentAnna Fratsyvir

NATO summit in The Hague to focus on long-term support, lasting peace for Ukraine, Rutte says

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on May 21 that the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague will focus on the military support for Ukraine to ensure it is in the strongest position possible both during its ongoing defense and in the eventual pursuit of a lasting peace, European Pravda reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte emphasized that all 32 NATO member states will discuss the continued support for Ukraine and how to avoid repeating past failed agreements.

"As for Ukraine, it will be a topic of discussion at the summit in The Hague. We must ensure that Ukraine, while the fight continues, receives all possible collective support to be in the best possible position to continue," Rutte said.

He added that when the time comes for peace, whether through a ceasefire or a formal agreement, it must be "durable and sustainable."

"We must make sure we never return to what we saw with the Minsk agreements," Rutte stressed, referring to the 2015 accords that failed to bring lasting peace to eastern Ukraine.

Rutte concluded by highlighting NATO's collective strength, saying, "This will really show that NATO, composed of 32 countries with a combined economy of $50 trillion and defense spending at a high level, is truly capable of defending itself against any adversary."

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.

Iran’s parliament has ratified a 20-year strategic partnership agreement with Russia, deepening ties between the two countries, Reuters reported on May 21.

The agreement, initially signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Jan. 17, was backed by the Russian parliament in April. The Iranian vote is the final legislative step before full implementation.

Iran has emerged as a key ally of Russia in its war against Ukraine, supplying Moscow with kamikaze drones and short-range ballistic missiles used in attacks on Ukrainian cities.

While the pact does not include a mutual defense clause, it outlines commitments for both countries to cooperate against common military threats, enhance military-technical collaboration, and participate in joint military exercises, according to Reuters.

Beyond military cooperation, the agreement includes provisions aimed at expanding economic ties. It encourages direct interbank collaboration and the promotion of national financial instruments, aiming to ease transactions and reduce reliance on Western banking systems.

Moscow has been Tehran’s long-time ally, but their cooperation intensified after the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022. Iran has provided Russia with thousands of Shahed drones used in attacks against Ukrainian cities, as well as short-range ballistic missiles.

Reuters recently reported that Iran was preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers with a range of 75 miles (120 kilometers).

With Iran’s assistance, Russia has begun producing its own variants of Shahed drones called Geran-2.

Iran and Russia have also been at the forefront of confronting what they see as the Western-led global order, with Tehran sponsoring militant groups in the Middle East attacking the West’s allies.

Their alliance suffered a major blow last December when Syrian rebels ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad, who was supported by both Russia and Iran.

Last June, Putin signed a similar partnership agreement with North Korea, under which both parties agreed to military support of each other in case of an armed attack. Months after the deal was signed, North Korea dispatched up to 12,000 troops to help fend off a Ukrainian incursion in Russia’s Kursk Oblast.

‘Trump doesn’t know how to deal with gangsters’ — US lets Ukraine down, once again

In what is now a semi-regular occurrence, the workings of U.S.-led global diplomacy has cast a dark shadow over Ukraine. U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on May 19 in the latest attempt to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine. The call came

The Kyiv IndependentChris York

The U.S. has achieved “a lot of progress” toward ending Russia’s war in Ukraine, U.S. President Donald Trump said during a press briefing at the White House on May 21.

On May 19,  Trump held a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, marking their first known conversation in two months.

“We are trying to settle Russia-Ukraine,” Trump told reporters. “I spoke with President Putin for two hours the day before yesterday. I think we made a lot of progress. But that’s a bloodbath."

Trump described the war as “a horrible thing."

“There’s a lot of hatred, a lot of deaths,” he said. “I get satellite pictures of that field — you never saw anything like that in your life."

The recent call between two leaders came days after largely inconclusive negotiations in Istanbul, where Russia sent a delegation of low-level officials and reiterated sweeping territorial demands, including that Ukraine accept the loss of Crimea and four other regions.

After the call, Putin reiterated Russia’s maximalist demands, denying full ceasefire agreement.

Trump has been inconsistent in his rhetoric toward the Russian leader, at times voicing frustration with the stalled peace efforts but mostly avoiding direct criticism of Putin.

Despite U.S. efforts, Putin has shown little willingness to compromise to achieve a settlement.

Trump’s approach has caused frustration and confusion among European allies, many of whom wanted him to back a joint U.S.–EU ultimatum for an unconditional ceasefire starting May 12 and tougher sanctions on Moscow. Despite Russia’s refusal, no additional U.S. sanctions have so far been imposed.

Trump has often boasted about his supposedly warm ties with the Russian leader, though the two have not met since Trump returned to office this January.

The two presidents previously held a phone call on March 18, during which Putin rejected Trump’s Kyiv-backed offer for a 30-day ceasefire but declared a pause on strikes against energy facilities, which Ukraine said was repeatedly violated.

Trump has adopted a more critical rhetoric toward the Kremlin recently amid Moscow’s delays in peace negotiations and continued attacks on civilian areas in Ukraine.

At the same time, the new U.S. administration has also often used a scathing tone toward Ukraine, most notably during an explosive meeting between Trump and Zelensky in the White House in February. The two leaders held a second meeting on the sidelines of Pope Francis’s funeral in April, which was described by both parties in more positive terms.

‘There we go again’ — For war-weary Europe, Trump-Putin call yet another signal to ‘wake up’

After a two-hour call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, Russia reiterated its refusal for a full ceasefire in the war in Ukraine while the U.S. once again failed to respond with any significant pressure. For observers across Europe, watching the way the negotiations

The Kyiv IndependentAndrea Januta

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on May 21 that the upcoming NATO summit in The Hague will focus on the military support for Ukraine to ensure it is in the strongest position possible both during its ongoing defense and in the eventual pursuit of a lasting peace, European Pravda reported.

Speaking at a joint press conference with Czech President Petr Pavel at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte emphasized that all 32 NATO member states will discuss the continued support for Ukraine and how to avoid repeating past failed agreements.

“As for Ukraine, it will be a topic of discussion at the summit in The Hague. We must ensure that Ukraine, while the fight continues, receives all possible collective support to be in the best possible position to continue,” Rutte said.

He added that when the time comes for peace, whether through a ceasefire or a formal agreement, it must be “durable and sustainable."

“We must make sure we never return to what we saw with the Minsk agreements,” Rutte stressed, referring to the 2015 accords that failed to bring lasting peace to eastern Ukraine.

Rutte concluded by highlighting NATO’s collective strength, saying, “This will really show that NATO, composed of 32 countries with a combined economy of $50 trillion and defense spending at a high level, is truly capable of defending itself against any adversary."

The allies are set to gather for an annual summit in The Hague on June 24-25 amid growing uncertainties of the U.S.’s commitment to NATO under U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has been a long-time critic of the U.S.’s NATO partners and said he would not defend those that fail to meet defense spending targets, directly challenging the alliance’s principle of collective defense.

The U.S. president has accused European countries of failing to contribute their fair share to the alliance’s defense needs, and his administration has signaled that its strategic focus is shifting from Europe to the Indo-Pacific region.

NATO members have significantly increased their defense spending since Russia launched its full-scale war against Ukraine in 2022, with countries like Poland and the Baltic nations aiming to reach the 5% target in the coming years.

Previously, Italy’s ANSA news agency reported that the U.S. is opposing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s participation at the upcoming NATO summit. According to Euractiv, allies have agreed that appeasing Trump takes priority and have not extended an invitation to Ukraine, a move NATO officials have not publicly confirmed.

U.S. State Secretary Marco Rubio later denied the U.S. opposed Zelensky’s presence, telling reporters: “No, I don’t know where that’s coming from."

The decision to exclude the Ukrainian president, if accurate, would mark the first time since Russia’s full-scale invasion that Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.

Pope Leo willing to host Ukraine peace talks in Vatican, Italy’s Meloni says

Following the election of the new pope, several of Ukraine’s partners, including the United States, suggested that the Vatican could become a neutral platform for further peace talks.

The Kyiv IndependentKateryna Hodunova