❗️The EU is preparing a new sanctions package against Russia to push Putin toward peace this summer, Politico reported. The main focus is expected to be Moscow’s “shadow fleet,” with measures planned for late June or early July.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on an unannounced visit focused on cooperation in developing high-tech weapons.
The EU flag was raised above Hungary’s parliament for the first time since 2014. This marks a sharp visual break from Viktor Orbán’s long-standing EU-skeptical stance and signals a new tone in Budapest.
Latvia’s Defense Minister Andris Sprūds resigned after drones violated Latvian airspace and hit oil storage facilities. Prime Minister Evika Siliņa demanded his resignation, saying the counter-drone system did not respond fast enough.
❗️Putin aide Ushakov said any settlement in Ukraine will remain fruitless without the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from Donbas, even after 10 rounds of talks. The Russian presidential aide framed Moscow’s demand as a condition for progress in negotiations.
❗️Slovakian PM Fico said Zelensky should call Putin himself if he is interested in talks. The prime minister added he carried Zelensky’s message to Moscow after Zelensky told him in Armenia he was ready to meet Putin in any format.
❗️Zelensky congratulated Péter Magyar on his appointment and start of work as Hungary’s prime minister. He said Ukraine is ready to develop cooperation with Hungary and build strong relations based on good neighborliness and mutual respect.
Péter Magyar officially became Hungary’s prime minister after 140 MPs backed his nomination and 54 opposed it. In his first speech, he urged President Tamás Sulyok to resign and announced a review of Hungary’s constitutional system.
❗️Viktor Orbán leaves office today after serving as Hungary’s prime minister since 2010, ending one of the EU’s longest-running premierships.
Putin’s Valdai residence was blurred on Yandex Maps shortly before May 9. Yandex previously blurred only military and defense industry sites, while Radio Liberty said the estate has been surrounded over several years by more than 25 air defense systems.
❗️The Netherlands is pushing the EU to revisit using €210 billion in frozen Russian assets to help Ukraine, Politico reports. Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen raised the issue in a closed Brussels discussion with EU counterparts on May 5.
❗️🇺🇸 Department of War releases first tranche of UFO files, as part of the Presidential Unsealing and Reporting System for UAP Encounters (PURSUE)The collection is housed at https://war.gov/UFO/ with additional files released on a rolling basis.Follow us -> LiveLeak
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❗️Zelensky visited the front on the Oleksandrivka axis, accompanied by Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi and Deputy Head of the President’s Office Pavlo Palisa.
❗️Zelensky says NSDC Secretary Rustem Umerov reported on substantive meetings in the US, with Kyiv coordinating a schedule of needed visits and expecting representatives of the US president in Kyiv around late spring to early summer to intensify diplomacy.