U.S. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that three Polish nationals and two Moldovan citizens had been released from detention in Belarus and Russia, highlighting what he described as growing diplomatic cooperation with Minsk.
Posting on his Truth Social platform, Trump credited his special envoy, John Coale, with securing the releases and thanked Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko for his “cooperation and friendship”.
Trump also referenced the release of Polish‑Belarusian journalist and activist Andrzej Poczobut, who had been imprisoned in Belarus. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced Poczobut’s release on 28 April, saying it was part of a broader prisoner exchange.
Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, has freed hundreds of detainees over the past two years, a process that has accelerated during Trump’s second term. In parallel, the United States has begun rolling back sanctions imposed on Belarus.
Meanwhile, a U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine appeared to be fraying on its second day, with both sides accusing one another of repeated violations.
The three‑day pause in fighting, announced by Trump on Friday 8 May, was intended as a confidence‑building step in Washington’s renewed push for peace. It follows months of shuttle diplomacy that have so far failed to end the war, now in its fifth year.
Ukrainian officials said three people were killed in Russian drone strikes near front‑line areas, while more than 200 clashes were recorded since early Saturday. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia had avoided large‑scale missile and aerial attacks but continued ground assaults in areas where its forces are advancing.
“In other words, the Russian army is not observing any silence on the front and is not even particularly trying to,” Zelenskyy said in his evening address, adding that Ukrainian forces were holding their positions and responding to attacks.
Russia’s Defence Ministry accused Ukraine of breaching the ceasefire, claiming it had shot down 57 Ukrainian drones over the past day and had “responded in kind” on the battlefield.
Zelenskyy said he expected the United States to guarantee a long‑discussed exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each side, which he said was part of the ceasefire understanding.
Earlier ceasefire announcements by both Moscow and Kyiv this week were quickly followed by mutual accusations of violations.
Casualties among civilians continued to be reported despite the reduction in long‑range attacks.
Regional officials said one person was killed in each of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk and Kherson regions as a result of Russian drone strikes. In the northeastern Kharkiv region, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said eight people, including two children, were wounded in attacks on the regional capital and nearby settlements.
In the Kherson region, seven people, including a child, were injured by drone or artillery fire since early Saturday 9 May, according to Regional Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.
Ukraine’s State Emergencies Service said a Russian drone struck one of its rescue vehicles in the Dnipropetrovsk region, wounding a 23‑year‑old driver.
Ukraine’s air force said Russia launched 27 long‑range drones overnight, fewer than usual, all of which were shot down.
The Ukrainian General Staff reported nearly 210 clashes along the 1,200‑kilometre front line since early Saturday. Reuters was unable to independently verify battlefield reports.
Diplomatic efforts remain deadlocked as Russian forces push to seize the remaining Ukrainian‑held areas of the eastern Donetsk region, territory Moscow says Kyiv must cede as a precondition for ending the war.
Talks have also stalled over the future of the Russian‑occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant, Europe’s largest.
Mixed signals emerged from Moscow over the weekend. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said peace was “a very long way” off, while President Vladimir Putin suggested the conflict was nearing its end.
Kremlin adviser Yuri Ushakov said U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff and presidential adviser Jared Kushner would visit Moscow “soon enough” to continue discussions. Kyiv’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said earlier that he met Witkoff and Kushner in Miami to discuss humanitarian issues and coordinate future steps towards peace.
Germany and the European Union pushed back against Putin's suggestion that former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder could help mediate talks with Brussels. EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas rejected the idea on Monday, saying it would be unwise to allow Russia to appoint a European negotiator.
“If we give the right to Russia to appoint a negotiator on our behalf, that would not be very wise,” Kallas said, adding that Schröder’s past lobbying for Russian state companies created a clear conflict of interest.
"He would be sitting on both sides of the table," Kallas said.
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Moldova's parliament approved the introduction of a 60-day energy state of emergency after Russian attacks in neighbouring Ukraine knocked out of service a power line providing most of the country's energy. Deputies approved the measure with 72 votes in favour in the 101-member chamber.
Parts of Ukraine and Moldova, including Kyiv and Chisinau, were plunged into blackouts on Saturday after a malfunction on high-voltage power lines, with electricity restored later in the day.
The European Commission has announced €153 million ($183 million) in emergency aid for Ukraine, alongside €8 million ($9.5 million) to support Moldova, which hosts large numbers of Ukrainian refugees.
Moldova's government in Chisinau has initiated the final legal steps to sever its institutional ties with Moscow’s post-Soviet alliance, marking a decisive moment in the small Eastern European nation’s pivot towards the West.
Australia confirmed it will repatriate citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with quarantine on arrival. Spain, France are evacuating nationals as three deaths are confirmed. In the U.S., two passengers have been isolated after testing positive for the virus.
U.S. President Donald Trump called Iran’s response to Washington’s latest peace proposal “totally unacceptable” amid talks over ending the war and securing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. A cargo vessel near Qatar was hit by a projectile as Kuwait reported hostile drones in its airspace.
China’s leading chipmakers are funnelling unprecedented sums into research and development as Beijing accelerates efforts to reduce reliance on foreign technology amid intensifying U.S. export restrictions.
SOCAR has completed the acquisition of a 99.82% stake in Italiana Petroli (IP) from API Holding after receiving all required regulatory approvals.
The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) has warned that France risks undermining the self-determination rights of the Kanak Indigenous People in New Caledonia amid proposed political and constitutional reforms.
French President Emmanuel Macron opened France’s first-ever business summit in an English-speaking African nation on Monday (11 May), as Paris seeks to strengthen ties across the continent following a decline in influence in several former French colonies.
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer will attempt a political fightback on Monday (11 May) with a speech promising closer ties with the European Union after Labour suffered heavy local election losses and growing calls for his resignation.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel aims to eventually end its reliance on U.S. financial military support within the next decade. The decision signals a long-term shift in the country’s defence policy as it seeks to deepen ties with Gulf states.
Thaksin Shinawatra, Thailand’s billionaire former prime minister, has been released on parole from prison on Monday (11 May). Shinawatra served part of an eight-month sentence that capped years of legal battles, political turmoil and controversy surrounding his return from exile.
Australia confirmed it will repatriate citizens from the MV Hondius cruise ship hit by a deadly hantavirus outbreak, with quarantine on arrival. Spain, France are evacuating nationals as three deaths are confirmed. In the U.S., two passengers have been isolated after testing positive for the virus.
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