Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy urged countries that back Kyiv in its defense against Russia's invasion to step up sanctions against Moscow, saying the Kremlin doesn't care about massive casualties but could be swayed to end the war if economic pressure is sufficient.

Russia and Ukraine have agreed to a new prisoner swap and the return of thousands of dead soldiers during direct talks in Istanbul, although little headway was made towards ending the war.

The Security Council today met for a second consecutive day on Ukraine, as the Russian Federation accused European States of artificially keeping the issue in the spotlight and obstructing peace by arming Kyiv.  However, many Council members countered that it is Moscow that is prolonging the war and violating the Charter of the United Nations.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a temporary ceasefire for the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin said the ceasefire would run from the morning of 8 May until 11 May - which coincides with victory celebrations to mark the end of World War Two.

US President Donald Trump again lashed out at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin after Russia capped a three-day bombing spree with its biggest aerial attack of the more than three-year war, which the Kremlin responded to by saying its defending its "national interests."

The UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine (HRMMU) has deplored a deadly wave of Russian missile and drone strikes that reportedly killed at least 13 civilians and injured 65 others, warning that the attack underscores the grave risks of using powerful explosive weapons in populated areas. According to the UN mission, the overnight assault from Saturday into Sunday – one of the largest of its kind since Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022 – resulted in civilian casualties and damage to homes and infrastructure across 10 regions of Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv.

A drone strike in eastern Ukraine on Saturday could possibly be the deadliest in recent weeks, the UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission in the country, HRMMU, has said.

Top US diplomat Marco Rubio says he does not have high expectations for Ukraine-Russia peace talks due to be held in Turkey - and that Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin need to meet for progress to be made.

The leaders of France, Britain, Germany, and Poland visited Ukraine on Saturday for talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, vowing to ratchet up pressure on Russia until it agreed to a ceasefire in the three-year war. The four countries, part of an alliance Britain and France call “the coalition of the willing,” said in a joint statement they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible.”

Ukraine's EU allies on May 9 endorsed the creation of a new international court to prosecute Russia's top leaders over Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.