Ukraine

[…] A ceasefire that is rushed or poorly defined could provide Russian forces with an opportunity to regroup and rearm, while enabling the Kremlin to continue exerting pressure through other means – including cyberattacks, sabotage and election interference. This paper outlines how Ukraine and its partners can best mitigate risks associated with a ceasefire and strengthen long-term European security.

Almost 500,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since it launched its fullscale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, according to the UK's largest spy agency.

The World Food Programme (WFP) has deplored a Russian attack on a warehouse in Dnipro, Ukraine that destroyed “a significant quantity” of food aid destined for thousands in frontline areas.

French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday warned Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, a key Russian ally, against an involvement in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, a source close to Macron said. … Earlier in May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ordered troops to reinforce the border with Belarus in the north, claiming Moscow was preparing a new offensive from there. The Kremlin denied that.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz has proposed granting Ukraine “associate member” status in the European Union without voting rights while it pursues full membership, according to a letter seen by AFP on Thursday.

The war in Ukraine, now well into its fifth year, “is becoming deadlier by the day”, a senior UN official warned in a briefing to the Security Council on Tuesday. “In the last week alone, we witnessed one of the largest aerial bombardments of Ukraine since the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion in February 2022,” said Director Kayoko Gotoh of the Political and Peacebuilding Affairs department.  

Russia on Wednesday renewed its hardline demands for ending the Ukraine war, ruling out a ceasefire or comprehensive negotiations with Ukraine unless it withdrew from the eastern Donbas region. The comments come less than a week after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the more than four-year conflict was “heading to an end,” without elaborating.

The Council decided today to add new tasks for the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine) in line with the strategic review of the mission. The mission will now support Ukraine in building capacities to counter hybrid threats and in reintegrating veterans in the civilian security and civil protection sectors.

Russia warned foreign diplomats in Kyiv on Wednesday to evacuate the city ahead of Moscow's World War II Victory Day celebrations, threatening retaliatory strikes if Ukraine disrupts commemorations tied to the May 9 military parade in Red Square.

At least 70 civilians have been killed and more than 500 injured across Ukraine since the start of May, UN human rights monitors said on Wednesday, as waves of attacks hit cities across the country and humanitarian workers struggled to reach communities near the frontline.