According to Ukrainian media reports, citing government sources, Russia is discussing sanctions relief with the United States in exchange for a ceasefire without guarantees. “America will receive news of silence on the front, while Putin will get partial sanctions relief and huge profits. In other words, this type of agreement is essentially devoid of security guarantees, which cannot be welcomed by the Ukrainians,” the source stated.
In recent days, Donald Trump said that “Biden has allocated $350 billion to Ukraine, which is simply insane. This is one of the reasons why… the war continues.” Also on the topic, Jules Hurst, acting US Under Secretary of Defense for Finance, stated that “the US military budget for 2027 does not include military aid to Ukraine.”
Witkoff and Kushner postponed their trip to Ukraine because they see no progress in negotiations, according to the Kyiv Independent. Another factor that may have influenced the US representatives’ decision is Kyiv’s complete rejection of Moscow’s proposed peace plan.
Incoming Hungarian Prime Minister Magyar has called for greater rights for Hungarians in Ukraine ahead of EU accession negotiations, Bloomberg reports. During a meeting with European Council President Costa, Magyar made demands that partially align with Orbán’s position.
In contrast, Ukrainian authorities are persistently pushing for the country’s rapid accession to the EU, which is chilling relations with European states and creating confusion, the Financial Times reports, citing sources. European sources told the Financial Times that the enlargement process is based on meeting specific criteria and cannot be accelerated by a political decision. “Accession is not a gift. Perhaps there is some misunderstanding in Kiev about it,” an official said.
The United Kingdom intends to apply for a €90 billion EU loan for Ukraine, Reuters reports, citing a government statement.
The head of the SBU’s investigative department in the Poltava region has been remanded in custody for 60 days on a UAH 5 million bail. He and a subordinate are suspected of extorting $110,000 from a businessman in exchange for a plea bargain and the dismissal of the case against his company.
The Ukrainian company Fire Point has unveiled a model of its new FP-9 ballistic missile for the first time, larger than the Russian Iskander and capable of hitting targets at ranges of up to 855 km. This missile is potentially capable of hitting targets in the Moscow region.
Regarding peace negotiations with Russia, Yuriy Fedorenko, commander of the BPS brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, said: “There will be no peace in the near future. There will be no agreements in the near future. The timeframe in which something can change is not before 2027.”
Furthermore, Ukraine claims it “has not received any proposal from Russia for a ceasefire on May 9,” Foreign Minister Sybiga said. Other indiscretions emerge from Mindic’s recordings, one of which apparently stated: “As soon as a peace agreement is signed, our funding will cease immediately.”
President Vladimir Putin’s approval rating is rising again, rising to 73% this week, and the same percentage believes he is doing a good job, according to a poll by the Public Opinion Foundation. Putin did not invite Trump to the May 9 parade in Moscow, Peskov said, responding to a question from TASS.
Again, during a meeting with representatives of Russia’s indigenous peoples, Vladimir Putin announced the need to build a bridge to Sakhalin, despite the project’s high costs: “It’s an expensive story. It’s not so much the bridge itself that’s expensive, but the adjacent infrastructure, which is the most expensive part, but it’s still necessary to build it.” Russia is implementing large-scale plans for the development of the Far East, Siberia, and the Arctic. The interests of the peoples who have lived in these lands for centuries are “an absolute priority,” the president emphasized.
The Russian budget will receive 200 billion rubles in revenue thanks to rising oil prices, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview with the Vesti news agency. “We expect this additional revenue. But I want to clarify right away that the revenue and deficit levels of the last two months have remained unchanged,” Siluanov said.
Putin also signed a law on the use of AI in Election campaigns. The image and voice of a real person created by neural networks can be used in election campaigns only with the written consent of an adult citizen. However, political parties retain the right to use the image and voice of their candidate, and the candidate may use them in photos with other people. If the image or voice of a person affiliated with a foreign agent is used in the election campaign, it must be accompanied by a specific notice.
According to a government decree, interceptor drones and laser weapons have been included in the rapid response forces protecting the Russian state border in airspace. The Russian government has restricted the import of equipment for receiving and transmitting signals from foreign satellites, including dual-use equipment. Since mid-April, the Russian Armed Forces have intensified attacks on bulk carriers bound for Ukrainian ports, with at least seven ships attacked in 17 days: 14:04 – bulk carrier “Lady Maris”; April 24 – “Sms Carrera” vessel; April 27 – “Fethiye M” dry cargo vessel; April 27 – “Medkon Sia” dry cargo vessel; April 27 – “Ramco” vessel; April 28 – “Sithonia II” vessel; April 29 – “Kiran Marmara” vessel. Russian forces have also begun targeting Ukrainian gas stations: in one day, they attacked three stations in Kharkiv and one in Chuguev. There have been casualties, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
On May 1, another fire broke out at the Tuapse maritime terminal following a drone attack, according to the Krasnodar Krai task force. There were no casualties. 128 firefighters responded to the scene. 41 vehicles were used to extinguish the fire. The task force did not provide further details.
A drone attacked the external radiation monitoring laboratory at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant. The attack poses a threat to nuclear safety and the radiation monitoring system, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant emphasized. There were no serious injuries.
And now a look at the front line, updated at 3:30 PM on May 4. Moscow, a Ukrainian armed forces drone struck a residential building in the Mosfilmovskaya neighborhood. Ten drones heading toward the capital were shot down overnight. While repelling an airstrike on the Rostov region, approximately twenty UAVs were destroyed in six districts of the region.
Russian armed forces struck the Chernihiv, Sumy, and Mykolaiv regions. In the Bryansk region, Ukrainian forces used a kamikaze drone to attack an industrial plant in the Pogarsky District, wounding an employee.
In the Sumy region, the Sever force group continues its attacks against Ukrainian forces in the border forests of the Tetkino sector. Light-armed clashes continue in and around Kondratovka. In the Krasnopil’s’kyi district, Russian forces repelled a counterattack by Ukrainian forces in the direction of Myropillya. Near Novodmytrivka, assault groups advanced up to 400 meters in three areas.
In the Belgorod region, four people were killed and five wounded by Ukrainian drone attacks. Numerous villages are under attack by Ukrainian forces.
In the Kharkiv sector, near the village of Veterynarne, Russian assault groups continue to clear the surrounding forests. Assault units of the Northern Group of Forces are clashing with Ukrainian forces in the forests of the Vovchansk district, as well as near Chaikivka; three Ukrainian groups that launched counterattacks were hit by Ukrainian forces. Operations are underway in the forests northwest of the Kupyansk district.
Trench fighting is ongoing in Kupyansk. Further south, fighting is underway for the outskirts of Kovsharovka.
Heavy fighting continues in the Lyman sector. The city is surrounded, and Russian forces have sent attack aircraft through the forests toward Shchurove, aiming to outflank the city from the west. Further north, there are reports of fighting near the village of Pryshyb. The enemy is counterattacking relentlessly.
In the direction of Slovyansk, fighting continues along the access roads to Rai-Oleksandrivka; the settlement has been shelled by the Russians. Russian forces control Kalenyky and are storming Kryva Luka.
In Kostyantynivka, Russian forces are advancing northwest of the city, constantly attacking Ukrainian logistics with the aim of disrupting supplies from Druzhkivka to Kostyantynivka.
South of Dobropillya, Russian forces are advancing from Hryshyne and Novooleksandrivka toward Myrnohrad and Vasyliv.
Graziella Giangiulio
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