Ukraine

Ukraine’s top commander said last week he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to soon access Ukrainian training centers. Russia responded by saying they would be a “legitimate target” for Russian armed forces.

The White House said Vice President Kamala Harris and national-security adviser Jake Sullivan will attend a Ukraine peace conference in Switzerland this month following public pleas by Kyiv for the United States – and President Joe Biden, in particular – to participate in the June 15-16 event.

Ukraine’s top commander said on Monday (27 May) he had signed paperwork allowing French military instructors to visit Ukrainian training centres soon. “I am pleased to welcome France’s initiative to send instructors to Ukraine to train Ukrainian servicemen,” Oleksandr Syrskyi said on the Telegram messaging app after talks via video link with French defence minister Sébastien Lecornu. 

An attack by Russian armed forces on a busy shopping centre in Kharkiv on Saturday reportedly killed at least four people and injured around 40. Denise Brown, the UN Humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, strongly condemned the strike and called for civilians to be protected.

President Vladimir Putin said on May 24 that Russia is willing to hold talks about the war in Ukraine, but questioned whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has the legitimacy to negotiate on Ukraine's behalf. 

The European Union has given official approval for the use of proceeds from frozen assets of the Russian central bank to beef up the defense of Ukraine, the European Council announced on May 21, a move that could see as much as 3 billion euros ($3.23 billion) diverted to Kyiv's military this year.

A summit that Switzerland hopes will pave the way for a peace process in Ukraine has drawn delegations from more than 50 countries, Swiss President Viola Amherd said Wednesday. 

The Council today adopted a decision extending the mandate of the European Union Advisory Mission for Civilian Security Sector Reform in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine), until 31 May 2027. … EUAM Ukraine is a non-executive civilian mission established on 22 July 2014, and currently headed by Rolf Holmboe.

Officials in Ukraine said on May 8 that a major overnight attack by more than 50 Russian missiles and 20 drones badly damaged infrastructure, including dams, across at least six regions as multiple waves of air alerts rang out for hours in areas including the capital, Kyiv.

A new OSCE expert report documents the practice of arbitrary detention of Ukrainian civilians by Russia since 2014, which according to the experts constitutes a violation of international law and may even amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity. … The current report builds on three previous OSCE expert reports launched under the OSCE Moscow Mechanism in 2022 and 2023.