Ukraine Breaking News Today Live on 05-23-2025

Ukraine’s finance minister has proposed integrating “Ukraine’s military potential into the European security system” – a move that could ease Kyiv’s 2026 financial burden as the war rages on.

Serhii Marchenko, Ukraine’s finance minister, has proposed a plan for the West to help finance the Ukrainian military during Wednesday’s meeting with G7 finance representatives.

Marchenko noted that it is possible to simultaneously address both Ukraine’s financial dilemma and the Russian threat to Europe if the West can help finance Ukraine’s military via the “integration of Ukraine’s military potential into the European security system.”

Zelensky invites Moldovan PM Maia Sandu to thank Moldova for their support and to invite the leader to the 2025 Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Moldovan Prime Minister Maia Sandu yesterday to discuss continued bilateral and multinational cooperation between the neighboring countries.

Zelensky expressed his gratitude for Moldova’s support, and Ukraine invited Moldova to attend the Ukraine-Southeastern Europe Summit. 

Besides hitting missile production and energy facilities Kyiv’s unmanned aircraft have killed mobile internet for dozens of Russian cities and towns and stranded tens of thousands of air travelers.

Over the last 72 hours Ukraine’s armed forces set a new record since Russia’s war on Ukraine began of the numbers of long-range drone strikes carried out – for either side.

Since Wednesday more than 750 explosive-carrying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) were dispatched from Ukraine-controlled territory to attack targets across western Russia. Some Ukrainian drones safely transited more than 800 kilometers (500 miles) of Russian air space – distances comparable to Milan-Berlin or London-Zurich – before their terminal attack phase.

John Thune, US Senate majority leader, says: “It is time for Putin to come to the table in good faith” as he pushes other American lawmakers to continue supporting Ukraine.

US Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said Friday morning that the Senate was “ready to act” if Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn’t come to the negotiation table with Ukraine in good faith.

“For the last four months, [US] President [Donald] Trump has gone to extraordinary lengths to bring an end to the bloodshed in Ukraine, and we here in the Senate commend him for those efforts. Now the ball is in Putin’s court,” the top Republican said in a statement, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent reports. 

Journalist and Russia expert David Satter explains how the 1990s reforms embedded organized crime into the Kremlin and cemented Vladimir Putin’s rule in an interview with Kyiv Post.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense said it is in talks with Sweden’s aerospace firm Saab to upgrade Ukraine’s Soviet-era air fleet with modern avionics such as radars and electronic countermeasures.

Ukraine said it is in talks with Sweden to upgrade the country’s Soviet-era air fleet with modern avionics.

The upgrades would include modern radars, means of protection and electronic countermeasures from Swedish aerospace and defense firm Saab.

As Kyiv seeks funding for its 2026 budget at the G7 Summit in Canada, member countries reaffirmed that Russia’s $280 billion in sovereign assets will remain frozen until the war ends.

Russia’s sovereign assets held by G7 countries will stay frozen until Russia ends the war and compensates Ukraine for the damage, the bloc has said.

The bloc’s finance ministers and Central Bank Governors issued the statement via a Communiqué after a summit in Canada between May 20 and May 22, 2025. 

The swap follows an agreement between Moscow and Kyiv during talks in Istanbul earlier this month to exchange 1,000 prisoners each – the only substantial outcome of these negotiations.

Ukraine said Friday it had exchanged 390 prisoners of war with Russia, the first stage of a larger agreement reached during talks in Istanbul last week.

The swap is part of a deal between the two countries to exchange 1,000 prisoners each – the only major result from the recent negotiations in Turkey.

Andrey Kondratyev is deputy head of the Russian defense firm Kurganpribor - a leading Russian military manufacturer, sanctioned by the US and EU for producing missile and bomb components.

An attacker hit a senior executive at a top Russian arms manufacturer on the head with a hammer as he entered his apartment building, Russian media reported on Friday.

Andrey Kondratyev, deputy head of the Russian defense firm Kurganpribor, was taken to hospital with multiple head injuries.

A Russian helicopter reportedly crashed near the village of Naryshkino in Oryol region, with two crew members killed. Eyewitnesses reported explosions at the site.

A military helicopter has crashed in Russia’s Oryol region, according to multiple Russian media and Telegram channels.

Footage published by the Baza Telegram channel shows thick black smoke rising from the alleged crash site. Kyiv Post has not independently verified the video or the reported location.

The German Chancellor wants to add Nord Stream to EU sanctions to prevent any US-Russia deal to revive the pipelines, amid growing domestic pressure and renewed Trump-era interest.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz is actively supporting a proposed EU ban on the opening up of the Nord Stream pipelines to prevent any US-Russian attempt to revive the controversial gas links.

According to a report by the Financial Times (FT), Berlin endorsed the proposed ban as part of the EU’s next sanctions package against Russia for its war in Ukraine. The decision aims to preempt any domestic or international pressure to restart the gas flow, three officials told the FT.

Both leaders “underlined their readiness to work together as partners to overcome global challenges” in their first phone call since Merz took office this month, Berlin said.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday urged Chinese President Xi Jinping to back Western efforts towards a Ukraine truce in their first phone call since Merz took office this month.

A statement from Merz’s office said he told Xi about “the common efforts of Europe and the EU to bring about a quick ceasefire in Ukraine” and that he urged China to “support these efforts”.

Moscow has announced plans to create a “security buffer zone” along Ukraine’s border – Ukraine warns it’s a cover for further aggression. Here’s what it means and how Kyiv is responding.

Russian President Vladimir Putin is once again calling for a “security buffer zone” along the border with Ukraine, a move Kyiv sees as a clear sign that the Kremlin is not interested in peace.

Here is what Putin said, what it means, and why Ukraine is warning of Russian escalation.

The announcement follows an agreement between Ukraine and Russia during talks in Istanbul earlier this month to exchange 1,000 prisoners from each side.

US President Donald Trump on Friday announced what he called a “major” prisoner swap between Russia and Ukraine, though sources involved in the exchange told Kyiv Post that the swap is still ongoing at the border and is not yet complete.

“A major prisoners swap was just completed between Russia and Ukraine,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.

Russia struck Odesa, Chernivtsi, Poltava, and Ivano-Frankivsk with drones Friday morning, damaging homes, infrastructure, and rail lines. Multiple injuries and power outages reported.

Russian forces launched multiple drone strikes across Ukraine early Friday, May 23, targeting several regions including Odesa, Chernivtsi, Poltava, and Ivano-Frankivsk.

According to Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration (OVA), strike drones hit the suburbs of Odesa, damaging a private house and injuring a man.

The Kremlin said no decision had been taken yet on a location for the next round of talks with Ukraine to end more than three years of war, after Moscow and Kyiv met for talks in Istanbul last week.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov cast doubt on Friday on the Vatican as a potential place for peace talks with Ukraine.

Italy, the pope and the United States had voiced hope the city-state could host negotiations.

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed that Ukraine is still operating in Kursk and that Russia has lost more than 63.000 soldiers.

This week, Russian President Vladimir Putin visited Kursk and Russian media claimed that the region had been completely liberated. However, this was contradicted by President Volodymyr Zelensky who stated on May 21 that Ukraine is still active in the Kursk region and is acting on enemy territory to keep Ukraine safe.

In early May, Putin told the TASS state media outlet that Moscow’s troops had driven all of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) out of the region and inflicted heavy losses, stating:

The military plant manufactures lithium-ion and mercury-zinc batteries for drones, aircraft, naval vessels, and missiles –plus smart power sources that operate without external wiring.

Ukrainian drones struck a major Russian weapons plant overnight in the city of Yelets, setting off a large fire and halting operations at a facility critical to Moscow’s military supply chain.

The attack targeted the Energia plant in Russia’s Lipetsk region, local officials and Ukrainian sources confirmed Friday, May 23. The facility is a major supplier of batteries and power systems used across Russia’s defense sector.

As statues of Stalin s return to Russia, Putin is rewriting Soviet history to legitimize his war in Ukraine. Can satire expose the truth behind authoritarian mythmaking?

Last week, the Moscow metro installed a statue honoring Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. A replica of a monument removed during the 1960’s de-Stalinization, the piece reflects the resurgence of Stalin imagery in public spaces under President Vladimir Putin.

By venerating the legacy of a man who inflicted massive attacks on his own people, sent millions of people to Gulag labor camps, the Kremlin is intending to rewrite and weaponize history to legitimize its present-day invasion of Ukraine.  

The EU has decided to halt duty-free trade under the 2016 agreement with Ukraine and has begun negotiations to establish new trade terms that could be completed by July.

The European Commission is to adopt a list of transitional measures regulating Ukrainian exports to the EU, a temporary substitute once the unlimited visa-free trade regime is over on June 5, 2025, European Pravda wrote, citing a briefing by Balazs Ujvari the EU Commission’s spokesman. 

The transitional measures will come into effect on June 6. However, Ujvari gave no details about what the temporary policy would involve. 

Ukraine’s former top general warns against false hopes of restoring 1991 borders and says only tech-driven warfare can overcome Russia’s war resources.

Ukraine’s Ambassador to the UK and former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces (AFU), retired Gen. Valery Zaluzhny, has cautioned against hoping for a return to Ukraine’s 1991 borders, warning that Russia still possesses the resources to continue the war.

Speaking at the “Export of Security: Ukrainian Weapons in the World” forum, Zaluzhny said, as quoted by Ukrainian media:

Ukraine says Putin’s call for a “buffer zone” proves he is the main obstacle to peace and must face more international pressure to stop the war.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha has called for increased pressure on Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in response to his recent statements about creating a “security buffer zone” along the Russian-Ukrainian border.

The Ukrainian minister wrote this in a post on the social media platform X, as reported by Ukrinform.

However, Tusk said that Moscow has shown no interest in honest negotiations and warned that peace efforts remain stalled.

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has declined to confirm a report that U.S. President Donald Trump privately told European leaders that Vladimir Putin has no intention of ending the war in Ukraine.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Trump made the remarks during a call on Monday with key European leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, French President Emmanuel Macron, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. 

Latest from the Institute for the Study of War.

Key Takeaways from the ISW:

• Russian President Vladimir Putin is fostering the formation of an informal state ideology based on Russian nationalism that positions Russia in opposition to the West as part of ongoing efforts to militarize and unify Russian society.
• Russian Investigative Committee Head Alexander Bastrykin — one of the most outspoken Russian ultranationalists in Putin’s inner circle — expressed support for the inclusion of an informal state ideology based on Russian nationalism in the Russian Constitution.
• Russian authorities are renewing their years-long narrative rejecting the legality of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, possibly to deny Ukrainian and Belarusian sovereignty and independence in the future.
• Russian authorities and state media continue to publicly question the legitimacy of the Ukrainian negotiating team and the Ukrainian government, likely to further efforts to reject and delay negotiations and to set conditions to renege on any future peace agreement with Ukraine.
• Recent Western reporting provided additional details in a case in which Russian forces executed Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) in November 2024, supporting ISW’s assessment that high-level Russian military commanders are likely involved in these executions.
• Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov confirmed on May 22 Colonel General Andrei Mordvichev’s appointment as Russian Ground Forces Commander.
• Ukrainian forces recently advanced near Toretsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Vovchansk, Toretsk, and Velyka Novosilka.

As US officials appear increasingly impatient with the Kremlin, leading Republican Senator Lindsey Graham tells lawmakers that Russia is not going to change behavior “until we up the ante.”

Leading US Senator Lindsey Graham on Thursday appealed to the Senate leadership, as well as his fellow senate colleagues, urging them to “get ready to act” to punish Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin for stalling peace talks with Ukraine.

“We have sat on the sidelines too long. We have watched too many people get slaughtered by Putin,” Graham told the Senate floor, Kyiv Post’s Washington correspondent reports.