The Biden administration is accelerating plansto reopen the U.S. embassy in Kyiv, a senior State Department official told Axios, part of an increasingly bold and potentially risky approach to the Russia-Ukraine war.
Why it matters: Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Ukrainian counterpart that this progress — marked by Kiev Embassy charge d'affaires Kristina Kvien's visit Sunday to commemorate V-E Day — is "a testament to Ukraine's success [and] Moscow's failure" in the early phase of Vladimir Putin's war, the senior official told Axios.
Why it matters: Themove will cut off three of Russia's top TV stations — Channel One Russia, Russia-1 and NTV — from American advertising dollars. "All three stations are directly or indirectly state-owned and controlled," Treasury wrote.
Russia should not be able to set the terms of a peace deal with Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Sunday during a televised address commemorating the 77th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe.
Driving the news: “I cannot tell you today when and how Russia’s cruel war against Ukraine will end, but one thing is clear, there should not be a peace dictated by Russia," Scholz said, according to Politico. "The Ukrainians will not accept that, and neither will we.”
The U.S., G7 and European Union agreed to impose sweeping new sanctions on Russia ahead of its symbolic Victory Day holiday on May 9, including additional export controls and a commitment to phase out Russian oil.
Why it matters: Western officials fear President Vladimir Putin will use Monday's celebration of the Soviet Union's defeat of Nazi Germany to dramatically escalate his war against Ukraine.
U.S. diplomats temporarily returned to Kyiv on Sunday to commemorate Victory in Europe Day along with Ukrainian counterparts, a State Department official told Axios.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a surprise visit to Irpin, Ukraine on Sunday, the town's mayor Olexander Markushyn said in a Telegram post alongside photos of Trudeau walking around the town.
Driving the news: Trudeau also traveled to Kyiv, where he presided over the raising of the Canadian flag at the country's embassy and announced its reopening, per Politico.
The war and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has created a complex challenge in America’s classrooms: How do we teach it?
Why it matters: There’s no avoiding it. The war is on TikTok, Instagram and other platforms kids frequent. And how teachers and parents talk with students about global events like this one shapes their views of the world.
First lady Jill Biden made an unannounced visit into Ukraine on Mother’s Day to meet with Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska.
The big picture: The first lady's surprise visit to the western city of Uzhhorod occurred after she met with refugees and volunteers at the Slovakia border crossing as part of her four-day trip to Eastern Europe.
First lady Jill Biden said Sunday that the "hearts of the American people are with the mothers of Ukraine” as she met with Ukrainian mothers and children at a school in Kosice, Slovakia, according to a White House pool report.
Driving the news: The first lady's stop in Slovakia is the latest in her four-day trip to Eastern Europe. While in Kosice, Biden met with local officials, representatives from local NGOs and UN agencies, and spoke with Ukrainian refugees.
John Lee, Hong Kong’s former hard-line secretary for security, was elected Sunday to be the city's next leader by a committee filled with Chinese government loyalists, AP reported.
Why it matters: Lee helped lead the crackdown on the city's pro-democracy protestors in 2019.
All women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in the besieged port city of Mariupol, Ukraine's government said Saturday.
Driving the news: Hundreds of Ukrainian civilians were sheltering at the decimated plant this week. They were evacuated through humanitarian corridors facilitated by the United Nations and International Committee of the Red Cross during a three-day daytime ceasefire.
