Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, Berlin, Germany, May 28, 2025

Wednesday’s Coverage: Zelensky Meets Germany’s Merz

Map: Institute for the Study of War

UPDATE 1223 GMT:

Gas transportation system operators from five countries have agreed to deliver American liquefied natural gas from Greece to Ukraine through the Trans-Balkan corridor.

The joint effort of Bulgartransgaz EAD (Bulgaria), DESFA SA (Greece), Transgaz SA (Romania), VestMoldTransgaz SRL (Moldova), and GTS Operator (Ukraine) is for a route package for natural gas supply from June to October.

The companies agreed on a single gas transit tariff with a 25% discount, wit the Ukrainian operator receiving a 46% discount.

From January up to early May, Ukraine imported 1.12 billion cubic meters of gas, ten times more than the 118 million cubic meters in the same period last year. The increase was due to reduced domestic production, because of Russian attacks in February, and demand for heating.

UPDATE 1113 GMT:

Three people have been killed and 27 injured by Russian attacks across Ukraine over the past day.

Air defenses downed 10 of 90 drones launched by Russia overnight. Another 46 were lost to electronic counter-measures.

The fatalities were in the Sumy, Donetsk, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Casualties were also reported in the Kherson and Dnipropetrovsk regions.

UPDATE 0911 GMT:

The leader of Russia’s aerial operation to overrun Mariupol, a port city in southeast Ukraine, has been killed in an explosion in the Russian city of Stavropol.

Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed Zaur Gurtsyev’s death, describing it as a “nighttime incident on Chekhov Street”. Russia’s Investigative Committee reported that the bodies of two men with multiple injuries were found at the scene.

Mariupol was seized in spring 2022 after a 12-week siege, bombing, and ground assault that killed tens of thousands of civilians.

UPDATE 0700 GMT:

Defying the Kremlin’s claims, 82% of Russian-speaking Ukrainians view Moscow negatively, according to a survey by the Kyiv-based think tank Razumkov Center.

The poll, between April 24 and May 4, surveyed 2,021 Ukrainian citizens aged 18 and older in territories under Kyiv’s control. Around 11% of participants primarily speak Russian at home.

Trying to push back pressure on the Kremlin to cease fire, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov postured on Wednesday that Kyiv must repeal alleged “discriminatory laws” against Russian speakers.

But only 13% of the poll’s Russian-speaking respondents had a favorable opinion of Russia. In contrast, 79% viewed France and 75% the UK.

The survey found that 42% of respondents considered the European model of social development as the most attractive versus 6% for the Russian model.

UPDATE 0641 GMT:

A UN commission has concluded that Russia is committing “crimes against humanity” as it hunts and kills Ukrainian civilians with drones.

The Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Ukraine issued a report on Wednesday confirming that Russian forces are targeting residents of the Kherson region in southern Ukraine.

The residents have spoken for month about the Russian operations from occupied territory on the east bank of the Dnipro River, with Kherson city — liberated in autumn 2022 — on the west bank.

The Kherson military administration reported around 100 attacks per day on the city in March. Between January and April, the drones killed 51 civilians and injured 472 s, including six children.

The UN investigation concludes:

The attacks followed a regular pattern and the same modus operandi, demonstrating that they were planned, directed, and organized. There is no information suggesting that Russian military and civilian authorities have taken any steps to prevent or stop the commission of the crimes….

In the Commission’s view, the conduct of the perpetrators may amount to the crime against humanity of forcible transfer of population. The widespread and systematic character of the attacks, the terror instilled within the population, and the ensuing coercive environment, have compelled thousands to flee. In addition to attacking civilian persons, drones have repeatedly targeted civilian objects and infrastructure, all means of transport, and emergency and rescue services. The damage and destruction of houses, the absence or limitation of services, essential infrastructure, and transport, have rendered the affected areas unliveable and left many residents with no other choice than to seek safer locations. These
elements combined suggest a coordinated state policy, on the part of the Russian authorities, to force the population to leave.

UPDATE 0623 GMT:

In their meeting in Berlin on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz agreed Germany’s support of long-range weapons production inside Ukraine.

Merz confirmed:

Our defense ministers will sign a memorandum of understanding today regarding the procurement of Ukrainian-manufactured long-range weapons systems.

There will be no range restrictions, allowing Ukraine to fully defend itself, even against military targets outside its own territory.

Neither leader specified the weapons but the expectation is that Berlin will supply Ukraine with the technical components to build and maintain rockets and cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 km (1,584 miles).

Zelensky said he expects the first weapons to be ready by June 2026.

The German Defense Ministry added that Germany will provide a new military aid package of around €5 billion ($5.65 billion).

Merz, who has ordered a halt to public disclosures of specific German military commitments, later said that delivery of Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine “is within the realm of possibility”.

He emphasized that using the missiles could require “several months of training for soldiers in Ukraine”.

The Chancellor said earlier this week that France, the UK, and the US have removed restrictions on the use of their long-range missiles.

UPDATE 0600 GMT:

Three siblings, aged 8, 12 and 17, who were killed by a Russian cruise missile were buried on Wednesday in Korostyshiv, around 100 km (60 miles) west of Kyiv.

Stanislav, Roman, and Tamara lay side-by-side, surrounded by dozens of bouquets, as the choir sang. Their father, released from the hospital where he is being treated for injuries from the attack, and two surviving children sat beside the coffins.

The children were among 25 civilians killed last weekend in Russia’s record-setting attacks by around 850 drones and 100 missiles over three nights.

ORIGINAL ENTRY: Ukraine has submitted its terms to end Russia’s 39-month full-scale invasion, putting the Kremlin under further political and diplomatic pressure.

During a productive meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russians “will constantly look for reasons not to end the war”.

Ukraine Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, one of the leaders of Kyiv’s delegation in talks with the Russians on May 16 in Istanbul, explained:

We are not opposed to further meetings with the Russians and are awaiting their memorandum.

The Russian side has at least four more days before their departure to provide us with their document for review. Diplomacy must be substantive, and the next meeting must yield results.

Donald Trump, who has chided Vladimir Putin since the weekend over Russia’s record missile and drone strikes on Ukraine, grumbled that Vladimir Putin may be intentionally delaying negotiations for a ceasefire: “We’re going to find out whether or not he’s tapping us along or not, and if he is, we’ll respond a little differently.”

US officials said Trump had been told, during his phone call with Putin on May 19, that a “memorandum of peace” outlining conditions for a ceasefire would soon be delivered. However, no document has been received.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio called Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to ask Moscow to engage in “good-faith” talks with Ukraine.

Afterwards, Lavrov tried to ease the pressure. He said a Russian team “is ready to present a memorandum to the Ukrainian delegation and provide the necessary explanations during a second round of direct talks in Istanbul on Monday, 2 June”.

Russia’s lead negotiator, Kremlin aide Vladimir Medinsky, declared that he sent proposals to Ukraine with a date and venue to exchange memoranda.

The Kremlin’s consolation is that Trump continues to give them a window before he accepts tougher US sanctions, supported by a large majority of American senators, on Moscow.

Asked by reporters if he would impose the measures, Trump said he is “very disappointed” but is still holding off: “If I think I’m close to getting a deal, I don’t want to screw it up by doing that.”

The reality TV star said he would determine within “about two weeks” whether Putin was serious about ending the invasion.