Ukraine-Russia war latest: Zelensky seeks ‘airport ceasefire’ but warns Putin has ‘no intention’ of ending war

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Europe can help the war-hit nation achieve a ceasefire with Russia – starting with each other’s airports first.

“We probably need a new role of Europe in our peace efforts. Maybe we would try to resolve or to achieve a so-called airport ceasefire,” Sybiha told Politico yesterday in Brussels.

His remarks come alongside Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia has no intention of ending its war on Ukraine, leaving Kyiv to brace for further attacks.

"Today ​there was no silence on the front line. Combat actions have continued," Zelensky said in his nightly video ​address.

"Russia has no intention of ending this war. And we are, unfortunately, preparing for new attacks. ⁠But peace must come. That is exactly what we are working for."

Both sides reported fighting along their long front line ​despite the ceasefire, and each accused the other of launching drone and artillery strikes. On Saturday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin also claimed that the conflict was coming to an end.

• The ex-German chancellor and Putin’s ‘buddy’ who Russia want to mediate Ukraine peace talks
• Russia and Ukraine trade blame for continued fighting as US-brokered ceasefire nears its end
• UK faces biggest fall in consumer confidence since start of Ukraine war, research suggests
• The fear behind the fanfare: Putin’s paranoia amid Victory Day celebrations

Zelensky holds call with UAE counterpart

Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday discussed with president Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed ⁠Al Nahyan the UAE's assistance in bringing Ukrainians back from Russian captivity and the war in ⁠Iran.

Since the ​start of the war, Ukraine ⁠has offered its expertise ​in ⁠countering drones to ‌the UAE and a handful of other Middle Eastern countries. ‌Kyiv and the UAE ‌have also struck a 10-year defence cooperation deal.

"I was glad to hear ⁠that Ukrainian expertise is truly helping to build reliable protection for lives. We discussed continuing this work," Zelensky said on X.

"I am grateful to the ‌UAE that our agreements ​are being implemented on ‌the basis of ⁠reciprocity and that Ukraine ⁠is also receiving the support it needs, ‌including ​in the ‌energy sector," Zelensky added.

UK sanctions dozens over 'Russian campaign to deport and indoctrinate Ukrainian children'

The UK has sanctioned dozens of people and entities allegedly involved in the forced deportation, indoctrination and militarisation of Ukrainian children.

New measures target 29 people linked to a Russian campaign to forcibly deport and militarise children, and a further 56 linked to information warfare.

More than 20,000 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred or deported to Russia and within the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Among those forcibly deported, an estimated 6,000 children have reportedly been taken to re‑education camps and subjected to propaganda designed to erase Ukrainian identity.

As part of their response, the UK unveiled an additional £1.2m in funding to help identify and return Ukrainian children to their homes and communities.

Ukraine suggests 'ceasefire' for airports with Russia

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Europe can help the war-hit nation achieve a ceasefire with Russia – starting with each other’s airports first.

“We probably need a new role of Europe in our peace efforts. Maybe we would try to resolve or to achieve a so-called airport ceasefire,” Sybiha told Politico yesterday in Brussels.

Sybiha, a close-aide of Volodymyr Zelensky said the proposal seeks a limited Moscow-Kyiv agreement not to strike airports which helps Putin as well.

The Russian leader, he said, may have an incentive to engage with such a deal which helps him protect major Russian hubs like Moscow's Sheremetyevo International Airport and St Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport.

"Maybe our European allies, by establishing a platform, or maybe an ad hoc group, we could discuss [the airport ceasefire]," he said.

Sybiha said Zelensky has already discussed the idea with some European leaders.

Europe rejects Putin’s pick for peace mediator: 'Not very wise'

The EU’s foreign policy chief on Monday rejected Vladimir Putin’s suggestion that former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder could represent Europe in future talks with Moscow on European security arrangements.

Putin told reporters on Saturday that he believed the war was “coming to an end”, and said he would be open to negotiating new security terms with Europe, ideally via Schröder as a mediator.

But Kaja Kallas dismissed the offer this morning as she arrived for a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

“If we give the right to Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, you know, that would not be very wise,” she said, adding that as Schroder had lobbied for Russian state companies, “he would be sitting on both sides of the table”.

After leaving office in 2005, Schroeder almost immediately took a job as chairman of a controversial German-Russian gas pipeline consortium and has faced heavy criticism in Germany for his closeness to Putin.

European Council President Antonio Costa said last week he believed there was "potential" for the EU to negotiate with Russia, and to discuss the future of the security architecture of Europe.

Watch: Zelensky says Russia has ‘no intention’ of ending war

Ukraine reports 180 battlefield clashes as fighting kills three

The General Staff of Ukraine's military, in a Monday morning report, said 180 battlefield clashes had been recorded along the front line over the previous 24 hours.

The General Staff said on Monday ⁠afternoon that ​Russian troops had carried out 38 new assaults on Ukrainian positions, adding: "Artillery ​shelling of border areas continues."

Regional governors in Ukraine reported on Monday that at least three people had been killed in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia and southern Kherson ​regions over the past 24 hours.

EU targets Russians with sanctions over alleged abduction of Ukrainian children

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 16 officials accused of helping Russia to abduct tens of thousands of children from Ukraine and force many to change their identities or be put up for adoption.

Sanctions were also slapped on seven centres suspected of indoctrinating the children or training them to serve in the armed forces, either for Russia or pro-Russian militias inside Ukraine.

Over 130 people and “entities” are now under EU travel bans and asset freezes over the abductions.

EU headquarters said the measures target “those responsible for the systematic unlawful deportation, forced transfer, forced assimilation, including indoctrination and militarized education, of Ukrainian minors, as well as their unlawful adoption and removal to the Russian Federation and within temporarily occupied territories.”

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, about 20,500 children have been unlawfully deported or forcibly transferred to Russia or Russian-held territories in eastern Ukraine.

EU officials say many of the children are stripped of their Ukrainian identity and culture, given Russian passports and put up for adoption. Some are forced into schools for indoctrination or into military camps.

“Russia is trying to erase their identity,” Latvian foreign minister Baiba Braže said yesterday at a meeting with EU counterparts in Brussels, where the sanctions were endorsed.

“When you look at the Genocide Convention, it’s one of the features of the genocide crime. So, it’s very serious.”

EU imposes sanctions on Russia individuals and entities

The European Union has imposed sanctions on 16 individuals and seven entities in Russia for systematic unlawful deportation of Ukrainian children, the EU Council said in a statement on Monday.

* Russia is estimated to have deported and forcibly transferred nearly 20,500 Ukrainian children since the war began, the EU Council said.

* These actions constitute grave breaches of international law and violate children's fundamental rights, aiming to erase Ukrainian identity and undermine future generations, it added.

* Entities listed today include federal institutions linked to Russia's Ministry of Education, the EU Council said.

* The listings also name officials and politicians from Russia‑occupied territories, along with leaders of youth camps and military‑patriotic organisations.

* Those listed are subject to asset freezes, while EU citizens and companies are barred from providing them with funds or economic resources, and individuals face an EU travel ban, the Council said.

Germany divided after Putin floats Schroder as Ukraine mediator

Vladimir Putin recently suggested that former German chancellor Gerhard Schroder could help negotiate peace in Ukraine, saying he believes the war may be “coming to an end”.

The idea divided opinion in Germany. Former lawmaker Michael Roth said a mediator “cannot be Putin’s buddy” and stressed that Ukraine should decide who can take part in peace talks.

“Neither Moscow nor we can decide that on Kyiv’s behalf,” he said in an interview with Tagesspiegel.

But some members of Germany’s Social Democratic Party said the proposal should still be “carefully considered” with European partners.

Schroder has stayed close to Russian president Putin even after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. He also worked on major Russian energy projects, including the Nord Stream gas pipelines and the Russian oil company Rosneft.

Zelensky's ex-chief of staff named as suspect in major corruption probe

Ukrainian authorities yesterday named Volodymyr Zelensky's powerful former chief of staff as a suspect in a major corruption probe, a move likely to pile pressure on the president's office at ⁠a sensitive moment in the war with Russia.

Kyiv's political class was rocked by a wide-ranging investigation last year that had fueled public anger and prompted the ex-top adviser and Zelensky's right-hand man, Andriy Yermak, to resign.

In ⁠a statement, Ukraine's anti-graft agencies ​said ⁠Yermak is suspected of participating in a criminal group that laundered around $10.5 million through an elite housing development outside the ⁠capital Kyiv.

The agencies did not name Yermak, in line with ​Ukrainian law, ⁠but he was widely identified ‌by local media. Speaking to Ukrainian outlet Radio Liberty, he denied owning real estate in the development but did not comment ‌further.

The case is part of a ‌broader probe into high-level graft first unveiled last November, when a former Zelensky business partner was accused of running a $100 million kickback scheme at the state atomic ⁠agency.

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