❗️Germany, France and the UK are drafting a plan to engage Putin in Ukraine talks, Bloomberg reports. European officials are discussing possible diplomatic steps with Kyiv, while stressing that any final decision remains Ukraine’s.
❗️US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told a Senate subcommittee that news will come “pretty soon” on $400 million in congressionally approved Ukraine aid that has been delayed at the Defense Department. The remark came after senators pressed officials on why the funds had not yet reached Ukraine.
NATO chief Mark Rutte said Ukraine is now so successful that Putin was able to hold Russia’s May 9 parade only with President Zelensky’s permission, underscoring Kyiv’s growing long-range leverage.
Zelensky said he is ready to begin direct talks with Putin now to end the war, without waiting for the US to resolve other global conflicts. He said 6 countries have confirmed contributions to the PURL program and that Ukraine spends $45–50 billion per year producing different weapons. NATO chief Mark Rutte said PAC-2 and PAC-3 missiles continue flowing from the US to Ukraine daily and weekly.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte arrived in Kyiv.
Zelensky said Russia launched more than 70 missiles and over 650 drones overnight, killing 22 people, including 2 children, and injuring 130. He said Russian attacks hit homes, a clinic in Kyiv, high-rise buildings in Dnipro, residential areas in Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia, and targets across Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kherson and Khmelnytskyi regions.
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Zelensky said Ukrainian forces can now reach Russian military logistics across nearly the full depth of occupied territory, leaving almost no safe roads for Russian forces in Ukraine’s south and east. He said Ukraine’s long-range sanctions plan is advancing step by step, with 15 Russian refineries struck between January and May.
Presidential Office Head Kyrylo Budanov said Ukraine’s negotiation process is not at a dead end, though there is still no ceasefire. Speaking at the Architecture of Security forum, he said some processes remain non-public and that Trump’s envoys confirmed a visit to Kyiv, proving talks are continuing.
Romania’s president said the drone that hit a residential building was a Russian Geran-2, citing a technical report by state experts. He said the incident caused injuries and material damage, that Russia is solely responsible, and that Romania will brief NATO and EU allies on the findings.
Zelensky said Ukrainian forces used long-range sanctions against Russia’s Saratov refinery about 700 km from the front, calling it an important result. He also cited strikes in Rostov region, Kirov region and at a military basing point on the Caspian Sea, thanking the Armed Forces, SBU and Ukrainian intelligence.
🗣Former President and now deputy chairman of the Security Council of Russia Dmitry Medvedev threatened a “symmetric strike” on Ukrainian nuclear plants and nuclear plants in NATO countries after Russia claimed an attack on Zaporizhzhia NPP. He warned that catastrophic destruction of a reactor or turbine hall would create a “new Chornobyl.”
❗️Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte that Budapest will not send weapons or military equipment to Ukraine. The statement came during their meeting as NATO allies continue expanding military support for Kyiv.
Zelensky arrived in Sweden for talks with Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson and Defense Minister Pål Jonson. Later today, there will be a joint press conference.
❗️Ukrainian sanctions. Rosstat data shows Russia’s coke and oil product output fell 12.3% in April versus March and 9.2% versus April last year after Ukrainian strikes on refineries. Kyiv’s long-range “sanctions” are now showing up in Russia’s official production figures.