Residents of the southern Syrian city of Daraa were staging a sit-in protest today over the killing of medical workers and more than a dozen antigovernment demonstrators.

The sit-in protest was taking place in the Al-Mahata neighborhood near the city center.

Human rights activists in Daraa say the situation in Daraa remains tense today, just a day after government security forces shot dead about a dozen protesters and fired on medical staff near the Al-Omari Mosque.

Inspired by the wave of pro-democracy protests in Tunisia, Egypt, and elsewhere in the region, Daraa residents have been staging demonstrations since last week.

compiled from agency reports

Indian and Pakistani forces have exchanged artillery fire after Indian air strikes claimed multiple lives, as tensions between the two nuclear-armed regional powers threatened to boil over.

Pakistani Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif vowed retaliation and an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee in Islamabad on May 7 concluded with a decision authorizing the country's military to respond.

It said that India had "ignited an inferno in the region.”

Following the decision, crowds gathered in several Pakistani cities to voice anger at India's attack and support for retaliation.

"We are standing side by side with the army," protester Fazal Hussain told RFE/RL's Radio Mashaal in Peshawar. He added that "we will hoist the Pakistani flag" in Delhi.

Another man at the rally, Abdul Hanan, said India had staged a "cowardly attack."

Both sides reported several fatalities in the shelling on May 7. Pakistan also claimed to have shot down several Indian jets.

“The moment the Indian side released payloads, we engaged their jets and shot five Indian jets," Sharif said during an address to parliament.

Hours earlier, Indian forces hit targets across Pakistani-administered Kashmir and Pakistan’s Punjab Province.

India said it carried out “precision strikes” against “terrorists” following the attack in Indian-administered Kashmir two weeks ago that killed 26 Hindu tourists.

India had earlier said that two of three suspects in that attack were Pakistani nationals but had not detailed any evidence. Pakistan denied that it had anything to do with the killings.

The Pakistani military said only civilians were killed in the strikes on May 7.

This information was followed by the Pakistan-based militant group Jaish-e-Mohammed putting out a statement saying that 10 family members of its leader, Maulana Masood Azhar, had been killed.

This information could not be immediately confirmed independently.

Worst Fighting In Decades

This is the worst fighting between the two sides in more than two decades. Pakistan called the Indian strikes “a blatant act of war.”

As the latest crisis unfolds, media outlets and political leaders on both sides are amplifying war rhetoric. Prime-time talk shows, military-themed advertisements, and nationalist songs are fueling public sentiment.

On social media, users wage digital wars, trading threats and propaganda on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.

On May 3, Pakistani channels aired breaking news of the test-fire of the 450-kilometer range Abdali missile. Indian networks, meanwhile, broadcast from high-tech “war rooms,” with dramatic graphics and commentary designed to stir patriotic fervor.

Dr. Tauseef Ahmad Khan, author and former head of the Mass Communication Department at the Federal Urdu University in Karachi, said: “Indian media is under the influence of Prime Minister [Narendra] Modi’s ‘Hindutva’ ideology, while Pakistani media is tightly controlled by the deep state. There’s no room left for sanity.”

The Kashmir Conflict

The dispute over the mountainous Kashmir region was born from the bloody partition of British India in 1947.

India and Pakistan have already fought three full-scale wars in 1948, 1965 and 1971, and a limited conflict in 1999 also known as the Kargil War.

Due to the power imbalance between the two -- India being militarily and economically stronger -- Pakistan has supported both local and cross-border militant groups since the 1980s to fuel an armed insurgency in Kashmir.

The European Union called for both sides to take steps to deescalate the situation.

"The EU recalls the need for a negotiated, agreed and lasting, peaceful solution to the conflict," EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni told reporters.

This latest escalation in the conflict has also sounded alarm bells in Washington, where US President Donald Trump said he had been informed about the attack and hopes the fighting "ends very quickly."

In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the attack and called for maximum restraint from both countries.

"The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," Guterres said, according to his spokesman.

US Vice President JD Vance called for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, saying a deal to end Moscow's war against its neighbor might be out of reach without such contacts.

In comments on May 7, Vance said Russia is "asking too much" but also suggested Ukraine should not be fixated on the idea of a 30-day cease-fire. He said "the gulf is wide" but he is "reasonably optimistic" about the chances of ending the war.

"You don't need to agree with Russian justification of the war, but you need to understand where they are coming from -- making them talk of what it takes for them to end the war," Vance said at an event in Washington. "[The] Russians are asking for certain set of things, and we think they are asking too much."

"The step we need to take right now is we need Russia and Ukraine to start talking to one another," said Vance. "We think it's probably impossible for us to mediate the whole process fully without at least some direct negotiations."

The comments from Vance, who said last week that the biggest war in Europe since 1945 would not end "anytime soon," spoke after Russia and Ukraine exchanged major drone attacks ahead of World War II commemorations on May 8-9.

Russia fired ballistic missiles and dozens of drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least two people and wounding several others in Kyiv in one of the heaviest attacks in recent weeks.

Meanwhile, Ukraine launched one of its biggest drone attacks yet on May 6-7, targeting Moscow for the third straight night ahead of a May 9 military parade marking Nazi Germany's defeat in World War II. No injuries were reported.

On the diplomatic front, Germany's new chancellor vowed continued European support for Ukraine's defense against Russia and said US engagement is crucial for ending the war and ensuring peace once the fighting stops.

In Kyiv, falling debris from destroyed drones sparked fires in apartments and buildings in three districts, Ukraine's military administration said on social media. A Russian drone strike in the morning hours of May 7 killed two people and wounded six others, including four children, the State Emergency Service reported.

Russia launched four ballistic missiles and 142 drones overnight, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in social media posts on May 7. In a statement on Telegram, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had destroyed 524 drones.

Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said Russian air defense units destroyed at least 14 Ukrainian drones after 10 p.m. local time on May 6. Russian officials said Ukrainian drones were destroyed on their approach to Moscow, whose key airports remained out of operation for most of the night.

Ukraine's drone attack on Moscow was the third in as many nights and comes as the Russian capital prepares for Victory Day celebrations to mark the 80th anniversary of the Nazi surrender and the end of World War II in Europe.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who expects to host Chinese President Xi Jinping and the leaders of several other nations at the May 9 parade on Red Square, announced late last month that Russia would cease fire for 72 hours on May 8-10 and called on Kyiv to do the same.

Zelenskyy has called the measure a pointless propaganda ploy and said Russia should agree to an unconditional cease-fire over at least 30 days, in line with a US proposal launched in March. Ukraine agreed to that proposal, but Russia did not.

Vance seemed to indicate Kyiv should not not press on the issue.

"The gulf [between the Russian and Ukrainian positions] is wide now, but I am reasonable optimistic now. We are trying now to move away from the obsession with a 30-day cease-fire," he said. "If cool heads prevail here, we can stop the killing.

The Kremlin said on May 6 that it planned to go ahead with the three-day cease-fire but would respond "immediately" if Ukraine launches an attack.

Air attacks and heavy fighting have persisted despite US President Donald Trump's effort to broker an end to the war, which has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides and a growing number of Ukrainian civilians since Putin launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

US officials have warned Washington could abandon its push for peace if there's no major progress soon, and the future of US military aid to Kyiv is uncertain, adding to pressure on Europe to play a robust role and provide security for Ukraine.

In Paris, on his first trip abroad in office, new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on May 7 that all members of the European Union must boost their defense spending.

"Only in this way can we gradually close our capability gaps and collectively support Ukraine," Merz said at a press conference alongside French President Emmanuel Macron.

Merz urged the United States not to walk away, saying that Ukraine can "continue relying on Germany and France in its fight against Russian aggression" but stressing, "We cannot end this war...without a continued involvement of the United States of America; this is not something that Europeans can substitute for."

"Let me say this very clearly as well, ladies and gentlemen, President Trump has our full support when it comes to bringing about an end to the war," Merz said. He added that European countries are ready to participate in any monitoring of a cease-fire "under the leadership, and with the participation of, the United States."

Russia, which seized the Crimean Peninsula and fomented war in the eastern region known as the Donbas in 2014, now controls about one-fifth of Ukraine, and members of the Trump administration have suggested Kyiv would have to cede some territory to Russia if it wants peace.

In his comment in Washington, Vance did not specify what Russian demands or requests were seen by the United States as going too far.

Amid the diplomacy over a potential cease-fire, senior Russian officials have said a peace plan must include, among other things, recognition that four mainland Ukraine regions Moscow claims as its own -- including parts that Kyiv still controls -- are Russian. Russia has also called for a strict limits on Ukraine's military power.

In his first media interview since he left office in January, Trump's predecessor Joe Biden told the BBC that pressuring Ukraine to give up territory in the name of peace was "modern-day appeasement."

Referring to Putin, Biden suggested he wants to control Ukraine and said that "anybody [who] thinks he's going to stop is just foolish."

There was no immediate comment from the White House on Biden's remarks in the interview, which was conducted May 5 and published May 7.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP

US President Donald Trump said on May 6 that he's ordering a halt to US air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen after the Iran-backed group agreed to stop attacking ships on important shipping routes in the Middle East.

“We’re going to stop the bombing of the Houthis, effective immediately,” Trump said at the start of a meeting at the White House with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney.

After Trump made the announcement, Oman said it had mediated the cease-fire, and confirmed that the US campaign was ending.

“In the future, neither side will target the other, including American vessels, in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait, ensuring freedom of navigation and the smooth flow of international commercial shipping,” Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said on X, calling the agreement a “welcome outcome.”

The United States launched a campaign of air strikes in March, and Trump promised to use “overwhelming lethal force.”

That came after the Houthis said they would resume attacks on Israeli vessels sailing off Yemen in response to Israel's mounting another blockade on the Gaza Strip.

Trump said on May 6 that the Houthis had indicated to US officials that “they don’t want to fight anymore. They just don’t want to fight. And we will honor that, and we will stop the bombings.”

He said the announcement means the Houthis “will not be blowing up ships anymore.”

The Houthis have been firing at shipping in the Red Sea and at Israel since Israel began its military offensive in Gaza against Hamas, which has been designated by the United States and the EU as a terrorist organization, after the Palestinian militant group launched a deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.

The statement from Oman did not mention whether the Houthis had agreed to stop attacks on Israel.

The head of Yemen's Houthi Supreme Political Council, Mahdi al-Mashat, said the group would continue to support Gaza.

Separately, the head of Yemen's Houthi supreme revolutionary committee, Mohammed Ali al-Houthi, said on X that the US halt of "aggression" against Yemen would be evaluated.

Israel’s military on May 6 launched air strikes against the Houthis that it said fully disabled the international airport in the Yemeni capital, Sanaa. Israel’s attacks were in retaliation for a Houthi missile strike on May 4 on Israel’s international airport.

Gregory Brew, a senior analyst with the Eurasia Group risk-analysis firm, said on X that the Houthis have not fired on a commercial ship since December.

“They are likely, however, to continue shooting at Israel,” Brew said.

From November 2023 until January 2025, the Houthis targeted more than 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones. That has greatly reduced the flow of trade through the Red Sea corridor, which typically sees $1 trillion of goods move through it annually.

With reporting by AP and Reuters

Pakistan said eight people were killed early on May 7 in missile strikes launched by Indian armed forces and called the attack a "blatant act of war" amid mounting tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors.

The fighting was the worst in more than two decades and followed an attack by Islamist assailants that killed 26 Hindu tourists in India-controlled Kashmir last month. India blamed Pakistan-based militants for the deadly attack; Pakistan denied involvement.

India said it struck nine Pakistani sites that were "terrorist infrastructure" from which attacks against it were orchestrated.

India said it also suffered deaths among its civilian population. The army said three civilians were killed by Pakistani troops who resorted to "arbitrary" shelling across the Line of Control, the de facto border that divides Kashmir, which is at the center of an 80-year-old territorial dispute between the two countries, and their international borders.

It added that the Indian Army was "responding in proportionate manner."

The director-general of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif, told a news conference that there had been "24 impacts from India on six places" and these resulted in the killing of eight citizens and the wounding of 35. Another eight are missing.

"Pakistan will return a response to the attack," he said before ending the news conference without taking questions.

He did not mention a report that the country's air force shot down Indian jets in retaliation. Pakistani Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Xthat three Indian jets and one Indian drone had been shot down by Pakistan.

State Of Emergency

Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif scheduled an emergency meeting of the National Security Committee for 10 a.m. local time on May 7.

The chief minister of Punjab Province, Maryam Nawaz, declared a state of emergency in the province, which borders India. All schools, colleges, and universities will be closed. Police and other security agencies have been placed on high alert, and doctors on leave have been asked to report for duty.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the attack posed a significant threat to commercial air traffic, and the country suspended all flights and operations at the Lahore and Islamabad airports for 48 hours.

An Indian military statement referred to the military action as Operation Sindoor and said nine sites were hit.

"A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched 'OPERATION SINDOOR', hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed," the statement said.

“Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted,” the statement said, adding that “India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.”

The ISPR said India fired missiles at three locations -- Muzaffarabad, the main city of Pakistan-controlled Kashmir; Kotli, also in Pakistan-administered Kashmir; and Bahawalpur in Punjab Province. The Bahawalpur and Muridke areas are considered centers for the banned groups Jaish-e Muhammad and Lashkar-e Jhangvi.

The attack sounded alarm bells in Washington, where US President Donald Trump said he had been informed about the attack and hopes the fighting "ends very quickly." In New York, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern about the attack and called for maximum restraint from both countries.

"The world cannot afford a military confrontation between India and Pakistan," Guterres said, according to his spokesman.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio contacted Pakistani national-security adviser Lieutenant General Asim Malik, who is also chief of Pakistan's prime intelligence agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), to discussed the situation.

Rubio also spoke with his counterpart from India and said he would continue to engage with both New Delhi and Islamabad to reach a resolution to the conflict.

"He is encouraging India and Pakistan to re-open a channel between their leadership to defuse the situation and prevent further escalation," said National Security Council spokesman Brian Hughes in a statement.

Soaring Tensions

Tensions have soared between the two countries in the aftermath of the deadly attack on the Hindu tourists.

Hassan Abbas, a professor of international relations at the Near East South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, told RFE/RL that while terrorism must always be condemned, Pakistan’s hasty framing of the incident as a false-flag operation by India -- without investigation -- is irresponsible. Equally, India’s rush to blame Pakistan without credible evidence only deepens mistrust and raises the risk of escalation, Abbas said.

"We need a different kind of courage now -- the courage to imagine cooperation...not confrontation. In a region facing the twin crises of poverty and climate vulnerability, war is a luxury no one can afford," Abbas said.

Hussain Haqqani, former Pakistani ambassador to the United States and senior fellow at the Anwar Gargash Diplomatic Academy and Hudson Foundation, told RFE/RL that domestic politics on both sides requires the leadership of the two countries to take a nationalistic stance.

The only sane approach in this situation for India is to demonstrate a strike and for Pakistan to respond in a way that the situation should not flare up, Haqqani said.

“But if one side strikes, then another responds, and then the other strikes again and it continues, then it could go out of control,” he added.

Although the people of the two countries are cheering at the moment, it would be the people who would be hurt the most, because the economies of the two countries will suffer, he said.

Tauseef Ahmad Khan, an author and former head of the Mass Communication Department at Federal Urdu University in Karachi, said that India-Pakistan tensions ignite artificial patriotism.

"The 1.5 billion people of the region -- many living in poverty -- are the real victims of this conflict,” Khan said.

Indian media is under the influence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s "Hindutva" ideology, while Pakistani media is tightly controlled by what he called the deep state, Khan told RFE/RL.

"There’s no room left for sanity,” he said.

With reporting by Reuters and AP

The Council of the European Union has prepared a new sanctions regulation that, for the first time, formally accuses Russia of using CS gas as a method of warfare on the front lines in Ukraine.

In an explanatory memorandum seen by RFE/RL's Russian Investigative Unit Systema, EU officials refer to two reports by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), published at Ukraine's request in November 2024 and February 2025, as the basis for the move.

This proposal is part of a three-package set of sanctions the EU is expected to adopt in the coming days. The other two target cyberattacks and Russian destabilization campaigns in Europe. According to internal EU sources, a fourth package of sanctions focused on targeting Russia's shadow fleet will follow.

The reports document the alleged use of CS gas in Maryivka and Ilinka, in the Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine, during Russian attacks in 2024.

The OPCW based its reports on soil and water samples, interviews with military personnel, and photographs of hand-grenade casings marked "RG-Vo," which stands for "hand grenade -- toxic agent."

Russia's RT state television channel aired footage of Russian troops using such Russian-made grenades on the battlefield.

"In light of the seriousness of the situation, in absence of a credible explanation from Russia regarding its widely reported use of riot control agents, and to enhance the global norm against the use of chemical weapons, the European Union calls for a timely attribution of the proven use of riot control agents as a method of warfare by the OPCW," the memorandum says.

The EU sanctions list will include the Russian Defense Ministry's Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, and the 27th and 33rd scientific research centers involved in the development and use of chemical agents.

CS is a tear gas also known as "Lilac." It causes severe irritation to the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract. Those coming in contact with it lose orientation and can suffocate.

Formally, CS is considered a nonlethal means of suppressing riots and is used by police in many countries. The use of such substances as weapons is prohibited by Article 1 of the Chemical Weapons Convention, EU officials note.

According to Ukraine's Defense Ministry, capsules with such gas have also been found inside Iranian-made Shahed drones, which have been widely used by Russia in its attacks on Ukraine.

Ukraine and Russia have conducted a prisoner exchange involving 410 soldiers -- 205 from each side -- the latest in a series of swaps resulting from their ongoing war.

The Russian Defense Ministry said on May 6 that the Russian soldiers involved in the exchange, which was mediated by the United Arab Emirates, are currently in Belarus as they head back to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the action, saying the POWs came from almost "all types and branches of the armed forces," including "defenders of Mariupol and the entire front line."

Russia's bloody siege of the Azov Sea city of Mariupol months into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine saw fighters battle Russian troops for months before around 2,500 surrendered in May 2022.

An April 19 exchange saw 277 Ukrainian POWs return home, according to Kyiv, while Moscow says it received 246 soldiers. In total, more than 3,000 prisoners have been swapped through U.A.E.-mediated exchanges since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.

The latest swap comes as renewed Western efforts to resolve the conflict, pushed in large part by US President Donald Trump, have begun to falter, as Russia continues to press its advantage on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Despite an earlier tentative agreement to limit attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine and Russia have also continued to target oil pipelines, power plants, electricity transmission lines, and other crucial sites.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for a three-day cease-fire in its Ukraine invasion beginning on May 8 to coincide with Victory Day celebrations.

The proposal was dismissed by Kyiv as "theater." Zelenskyy has called instead for a longer, 30-day cease-fire.

Iran’s continued struggle with electricity shortages has led to the implementation of rolling blackouts in the capital, Tehran.

Power cuts have become a fixture of both summer and winter months, but rolling blackouts this year have started earlier than usual despite the temperatures being relatively low.

Government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said during her weekly press conference on May 6 that the country was facing “multiple imbalances,” referring to rising demand for electricity, water, and gas.

She said the government of President Masud Pezeshkian “needs time” to address the energy shortage, without explicitly saying how much time was required. Experts say electricity consumption in Iran rises by about 7 percent, or 5,000 megawatts, every year.

Dalga Khatinoglu, an energy expert based in Azerbaijan, told RFE/RL’s Radio Farda that Iran has no short-term solution for its electricity shortage, and even if it were to triple or quadruple its power production, it might only reach a balance sometime in the next decade.

Meanwhile, Tehran city Councilor Jafar Bandi Sharibani accused the authorities of discriminatory practices by imposing longer blackouts in lower-income neighborhoods.

Electricity consumption in Iran peaked at over 72,000 megawatts in the Iranian year 1402 (March 2023-23), while actual power generation capacity in the summer maxed out at around 60,000 megawatts.

Mostafa Rajabi Mashhadi, a spokesperson for Iran’s state-run power distribution company Tavanir, said that electricity consumption nationwide in the last two weeks rose by 9,000 megawatts compared to the same period last year.

Despite sitting atop the world’s second-largest natural gas reserves, Iran continues to face recurring energy shortages in both summer and winter.

Generous energy subsidies keep household bills low, but they also fuel excessive consumption.

Amid the struggle to keep the lights on, proponents of Iran’s nuclear program argue the country needs nuclear energy to generate electricity.

US President Donald Trump has called for the “total dismantlement” of the nuclear program, but has said he is open to considering allowing Iran to maintain a civil nuclear program to generate electricity.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi last month said his country aims to build 19 more nuclear reactors -- a goal it has been pursuing since the 2000s. He teased that "tens of billions of dollars in potential contracts are up for grabs" and open to US investment, should Tehran and Washington reach a deal on Iran's nuclear program.

Welcome to Wider Europe, RFE/RL's newsletter focusing on the key issues concerning the European Union, NATO, and other institutions and their relationships with the Western Balkans and Europe's Eastern neighborhoods.

I'm RFE/RL Europe Editor Rikard Jozwiak, and this week I'm drilling down on two issues: Why EU and Ukraine trade will be less free going forward and an upcoming flurry of important meetings in Lviv and Warsaw.

Briefing #1: Why EU-Ukraine Trade Is About To Get Less Free

What You Need To Know: Since June 2022, the European Union has granted Ukraine full trade liberalization to help support the war-torn country's economy. These measures -- suspending import duties and quotas -- are known as Autonomous Trade Measures (ATMs), and they appear to have benefited Kyiv.

In 2024, Ukrainian exports to the EU reached nearly 60 percent of total exports, up from 39.1 percent in 2021. However, the ATMs, which have been renewed annually by a majority vote of EU member states, are set to end definitively on June 5. They were always intended to be temporary and could only be extended twice.

Now, negotiations are under way between Brussels and Kyiv on what will replace them.

The fallback option is a return to the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement , which came into force in 2017 (though provisionally applied from 2016), and includes a free trade component.

The current talks focus on Article 29 of that agreement, which outlines a framework for potential reciprocal tariff liberalization.

But it is far from smooth sailing, as time is running short, and the effects of the ATMs aren't universally liked in the bloc.

Deep Background: Farmers in so-called frontline EU border states, such as Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria, have long lobbied their governments to get rid of them, arguing that a glut of Ukrainian agricultural goods has overwhelmed local storage and pushed down prices for local food producers.

At various times in 2023 and 2024, these farmers blocked the borders with Ukraine to prevent goods from entering the EU. In response, the European Commission, which oversees EU trade policies, tried several solutions, including sealing agricultural shipments from Ukraine to divert them away from frontline countries and toward other EU destinations or ports for export beyond the bloc.

In the end, the commission agreed to limit inflows of the most popular agricultural goods by enacting emergency brakes. These brakes could be pulled if certain imports exceeded the average import numbers recorded between July 1, 2021, and December 31, 2024. And the brakes have been used readily in the past year on Ukrainian exports of oats, eggs, sugar, and honey.

The official line of the European Commission is that it is "finalizing the work on the proposal to ensure a seamless transition to a new trade regime with Ukraine after the expiry of the ATMs" and that this proposal will soon be presented to Kyiv.

The question is when. Many EU officials in Brussels are worried that any new proposal could become a political hot potato in the Polish presidential election campaign when the country goes to the polls to select a new head of state on May 18, and a likely second round on June 1.

But it is not only the political sway of Polish farmers that needs to be heeded.

A joint letter by the agriculture ministers of Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia addressed to the European Commission and seen by RFE/RL has also raised the stakes.

The letter states that the ministers "firmly believe that the upcoming expiration of the ATM regime must serve as an opportunity to reassess and recalibrate our trade relations with Ukraine. It is essential to ensure that future trade arrangements reflect a balanced approach that accommodates the interests of all parties without disproportionately harming the economies of neighboring member states."

It then goes on to highlight several new proposals, all of which would be disadvantageous to Kyiv.

These include:

• A return to prewar tariff quotas;
• Bilateral safeguard provisions for all agricultural products;
• Frontline member states being able to impose extra safeguards; and
• A review clause to reassess the agreement two years after its application -- aimed at preventing future market distortions and ensuring fair competition for EU farmers.

But it doesn't end there.

The ministers also argue that "in parallel with Ukraine's accession process, relevant sanitary and phytosanitary, animal welfare, public health, and environment-related regulations in line with EU standards should be introduced for Ukrainian agricultural production."

Drilling Down

• While such reforms are indeed necessary for eventual EU membership, it's notable that one of the letter's signatories, Hungary, is currently blocking that very accession process.
• The ministers also propose a minimum import price threshold for selected items, which "could play a deterrent role in terms of importing agricultural goods into EU Member States at prices below the cost of domestically produced agricultural products" -- effectively another trade barrier and a clear move to shield local farmers.
• So, what does Ukraine want? Simply put, almost more of the same. In a letter to the commission, seen by RFE/RL, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal writes that, "without substantial guaranteed and ongoing multi-industry trade liberalization, Ukraine will simply be unable to rebuild its industries, create jobs and livelihoods for its citizens to recover its economy. Simply put, Ukraine needs your trade. First to survive, then to thrive."

• Shmyhal also warns that, failing to strike a preferential trade deal with Brussels could cost Ukraine €3 billion ($3.4 billion) annually, potentially leading to a 1 percent reduction in Ukraine's gross domestic product.
• While accepting that any new deal is likely to come under the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement, Shmyhal says that it should "contain a minimum number of exceptions" and points out that "we are obviously aware of concerns of European farmers, but we emphasize that the share of Ukrainian products on the European market remains relatively small. For many product groups, even those considered sensitive, it's less than 1 percent of total EU consumption."
• He also suggests that the safeguard measures introduced for certain products in 2024 "should become the starting point for gradually liberalized tariff quotas" on agricultural goods.
• Given the looming June 5 deadline, Shmyhal has also hinted at some sort of bridging solution -- something that I have heard might happen.
• "If it is impossible to reach a solution in time before the 5th of June, we need to find a joint short-term solution so current Ukrainian exports can continue until the Association Agreement is updated," he said.
• "Otherwise, there is a risk of returning to higher tariffs and lower quantities under the tariff quotas of the prewar period, and this would cause significant damages to the Ukrainian economy."

Briefing #2: Sanctions, War Tribunal On Agenda As EU Ministers Prepare To Meet

What You Need To Know: European Union foreign ministers will gather in Warsaw this week for an informal council meeting and then head to Lviv in a show of solidarity with Ukraine in the face of major Victory Day celebrations in Russia.

Few concrete decisions are expected be made in either Poland on May 7-8, nor a day later in the western Ukrainian city of Lviv, as these aren’t official EU councils.

“In line with the meeting's informal nature and taking benefit from the more intimate (ministers-only) setting, we encourage everyone's contribution to a truly frank and non-scripted discussion," according to a welcoming note for the Warsaw meeting that was seen by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

"In this spirit, we recommend that our working sessions take place without interpretation or electronic devices. We also kindly invite you to opt for semi-formal attire throughout the meeting.”

The informality doesn't mean the meetings will lack high-level officials and come at a time when Russian President Vladimir Putin is looking to capture the world's attention with a massive military parade in front of dozens of dignitaries from around the world.

During the first day of the Warsaw meeting, UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy will join to discuss European security, while the second day is dedicated to EU-US relations and the situation in Ukraine.

On the latter, the welcome note, signed by the EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and the host, Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski, proposes an "in-depth discussion" on the EU's role in bolstering Ukraine's negotiation position toward a "just and lasting peace."

Officials will look to do this, the note says, by "building on our unique collective leverage -- broad support to Ukraine, in particular financial and military, pressure to constrain Russia's war chest, Ukraine's EU accession path, and the ongoing work on enhancing European defense capabilities.”

Deep Background: While no decisions are to be rubber stamped, there are three developments pertaining to Ukraine that analysts said will be closely watched.

The EU is aiming to announce more cash for Ukraine's defense industry, though a figure has yet to be agreed.

The bloc is also expected to accelerate sanctions on Russia in the wake of numerous missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities in recent weeks.

According to EU diplomats, it is likely to be a smaller package consisting mainly of the further blacklisting of Russian officers and politicians along with adding ships belonging to the Russian shadow fleet that will be banned from getting services in European ports.

Drilling Down

• Major new economic sanctions against Russia aren't expected to avoid dissent from some EU capitals and instead get a quick green light as a sign of solidarity in ratcheting up pressure on Moscow.
• The Lviv meeting is set to take place as the ministers attend the establishment of a special tribunal aimed at prosecuting senior Russian and Belarusian leaders for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
• The tribunal is meant as a complement to the ongoing International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide that was launched three years ago.
• It will fill in the gaps as the ICC isn’t looking into what are legally known as "crimes of aggression" -- meaning things such as military occupation, annexation and bombardments.
• A so-called core group of countries, including all EU member states except Hungary and Slovakia, as well as the G7 minus the United States, have drawn up three documents on an agreement with Ukraine to establish the tribunal.
• The actual tribunal won't be formally set up until the Council of Europe's committee of ministers votes on it on May 14.
• The EU and Kyiv have been gathering evidence on crimes of aggression since 2023.

Looking Ahead

The European Parliament is meeting this week, and there's plenty on the agenda.

On May 7, the chamber will debate both the potential peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow and the need for the Kremlin to return Ukrainian children who have been forcibly taken to Russia.

European lawmakers will also quiz the European Commission on the recent electricity blackout on the Iberian peninsula and a recent ruling in the EU courts forbidding Malta's so-called "golden passport scheme," which has allowed people, notably several Russians, to buy EU citizenship.

That's all for this week!

Feel free to reach out to me on any of these issues on X @RikardJozwiak, or on e-mail at jozwiakr@rferl.org.

Until next time,

Rikard Jozwiak

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Russia and Ukraine targeted each other with drone strikes on May 6 as both Moscow and Kyiv gear up for Victory Day celebrations marking the 80th anniversary of the surrender of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Russia targeted Ukraine's second-largest city, Kharkiv, with nearly 20 drones on May 6, injuring at least four people, local prosecutors said.

The main market street in Kharkiv was hit in the attack, which happened overnight.

Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said Ukraine launched more than 100 drones at targets in 11 regions overnight, including the capital. The ministry claimed air defenses intercepted or downed 105 drones.

In Moscow, at least 19 Ukrainian drones were destroyed on their approach to the city, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said on Telegram.

There was no "serious damage or injuries" where debris fell near one of the main highways leading into the city, he said.

Flights were suspended at all four airports that serve Moscow, Russia's aviation regulator said. Flights resumed several hours later.

In the Kursk border region, where Russian troops recently pushed out the remnants of a Ukrainian force that had invaded last summer, Ukrainian forces attacked a power substation, according to Governor Aleksandr Khinshtein.

The attack injured two teenagers and damaged two transformers, he said. The damage cut power to the area.

There was no immediate comment from Kyiv about the attack, but Ukrainian officials have previously said such assaults are aimed at hitting military targets and infrastructure used to support Moscow's war efforts.

Authorities in Ukraine's Sumy region, to the northwest, urged residents to evacuate homes in two cities near the border after Russian forces fired artillery into two settlements, killing three people and injuring four.

"The Sumy region. Since morning, Russia has been striking border settlements," the Interior Ministry said on Telegram.

Despite Russian President Vladimir Putin's call for a three-day cease-fire in the Ukraine war, beginning May 8, there are no signs of any let up in the violence, either on the battlefield or in the daily exchange of drone barrages between Kyiv and Moscow.

Victory Day Preparations

The Red Square military parade on May 9 is the centerpiece of the Kremlin's commemorations for Victory Day. Putin is expected to give a speech extolling Moscow's role in the World War II victory, as well as Russia's all-out ongoing invasion of Ukraine, now in its fourth year.

Putin is expected to host 20 world leaders for the Victory Day events, and officials have announced increased security measures in Moscow ahead of the day.

Moscow authorities warned residents against firing off fireworks this week, and also warned of Internet disruptions in the region, possibly as a way to thwart drone or other potential attacks.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service, Reuters, and AFP

In his first 100 days in office, one key foreign policy goal has eluded US President Donald Trump: ending the war on Ukraine.

Trump ran for president on a promise to end the war quickly. In an interview with NBC News that aired on May 4, he expressed hope a peace deal could still be reached while also suggesting his patience with both Ukraine and Russia was limited.

“There will be a time when I will say, ‘Okay, keep going. Keep being stupid and keep fighting,’” he said.

Trump also said the US was “closer with one party, and maybe not as close with the other,” though he did not say which party he believed was closer to a deal.

But in recent days, the US president has voiced particular frustration with the Kremlin, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to “stop shooting, sit down, and sign a deal."

Republican lawmakers have moved in lock step with the US president.

South Carolina Senator Lindsay Graham, a key ally of Trump, has said he has broad support for a new package of sanctions and tariffs on Russia if Putin fails to engage seriously in peace negotiations.

Louisiana Senator John Kennedy complained to Fox News that the Kremlin leader “has jacked around President Trump at every turn."

"He has disrespected our president. I don't think it's gonna get any better until we make it clear to Mr. Putin that we are willing to turn him and his country into fish food," Kennedy said.

Kennedy quickly clarified that he was referring to measures to shut down Russia’s sale of oil, not nuclear war. But the remarks echoed Trump’s recent impatience with the Kremlin.

Against that rhetorical backdrop, however, diplomatic efforts have continued. Steve Witkoff, Trump’s special envoy, traveled to Moscow to meet with Putin.

A top Kremlin aide described the talks as “productive,” and some commentators saw Witkoff’s arrival without the usual entourage as an indication that the American emissary may be out of his diplomatic depth.

Steven Pifer, a retired career diplomat and former US ambassador to Ukraine, questioned the wisdom of Witkoff appearing to take the meeting alone, saying that the US emissary, who is a wealthy real estate developer and confidant of Trump, was facing off against “75+ years” of diplomatic experience.

“Little wonder Russia has received 10 weeks of US concessions and gifts while giving nothing in return,” Pifer said on X.

Regardless of the seating arrangements in the Kremlin, Witkoff’s meeting was a contrast with the signing event in Washington for the creation of the United-States-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund, a deal that will give the US access to Ukraine’s valuable rare earth minerals in exchange for what Kyiv hopes will be enduring US support.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent used strong language to describe the agreement, saying it “signals clearly to Russia that the Trump Administration is committed to a peace process centered on a free, sovereign, and prosperous Ukraine over the long term.”

So have the tides shifted subtly in favor of Ukraine when it comes to dealing with the Trump administration?

As always, it may be too early to tell.

After all, the signing comes only about two months after a rancorous meeting in the Oval Office between Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and US Vice President JD Vance.

That meeting was perhaps one of the more cinematic moments since Trump took office in January. But the nascent peace process has not reached the punctuation mark that will allow Trump to chalk off another achievement.

And in the interim, Trump has been consistent in his narrative: The war on Ukraine is “Biden’s war,” and never would have happened if he had been in office.

Put otherwise, if talks fail, the blame for a foreign policy failure can be shifted away from the Trump administration.

A Russian journalist who was charged for her criticism of Moscow's war on Ukraine and ordered to remain under house arrest pending trial secretly fled the country for France.

Yekaterina Barabash, a film critic who had written critical messages to Facebook about the Russian invasion, appeared on May 5 at a Paris news conference organized by Reporters Without Borders, an advocacy group known by its French acronym, RSF.

"Her escape was one of the most perilous operations RSF been involved in since Russia's draconian laws of March 2022," the group's director, Thibaut Bruttin, said during the conference with Barabash.

Barabash, a film critic who has worked for Radio France Internationale and been an occasional guest on RFE/RL's Russian Service programs, was arrested on February 25 after returning home from a film festival in Berlin.

She was charged with spreading fake news about the Russian military -- a draconian measure put into law after Moscow launched its all-out invasion in February 2022.

Russian officials issued an arrest warrant after police checked on Barabash at her Moscow apartment on April 13 and found her missing.

Barabash told the Paris news conference that she crossed multiple borders using secret channels arranged by activists and spent two weeks in hiding before reappearing in Paris.

She said she left behind her 96-year-old mother, whom she could not contact when she fled.

"I just understood that I'd never see her again," Barabash said.

She told the news conference there was no such thing as a "Russian journalist" inside the country anymore.

"There are no Russian journalists," she said. "Journalism cannot exist under totalitarianism."

With reporting by the AP and AFP

Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said around 500,000 artillery shells have been delivered to Ukraine this year under a Czech-led global effort to support Kyiv in its fight against Russia.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on May 5, Fiala also pledged to increase the instruction of Ukrainian pilots to fly F-16 fighter jets and L-39s, a Czech-built trainer plane.

Fiala made no mention of whether the Czech government was considering offering soldiers to serve in Ukraine as part of the Coalition of the Willing effort spearheaded by France and Germany.

That effort aims to organize a multinational group of troops who would be deployed to Ukraine as peacekeepers, once there is a halt to Russia’s all-out invasion, now in its fourth year.

Zelenskyy is on a two-day visit to one of Kyiv's strongest European allies.

The trip comes as Kyiv and Moscow, as well as most European capitals, gear up for celebrations on the 80th anniversary of the defeat of Nazi Germany during World War II.

Ukraine, which has suffered massive destruction and loss of life since Russia began its full-scale invasion in February 2022, shifted its remembrance of Victory Day to May 8, aligned with the date when Western allies mark the occasion.

As it did under the Soviet Union, Moscow observes the day on May 9, since the Nazi surrender in 1945 occurred overnight in Moscow.

Russian leader Vladimir Putin has called for a three-day cease-fire in its Ukraine invasion beginning on May 8.

In response, Zelenskyy called instead for a longer, 30-day cease-fire.

During his visit to the Czech parliament Zelenskyy noticed a group of cleaning ladies from Ukraine who were watching his arrival through a glass door. He approached them and took a group photo with them. The picture has gone viral.

Zelenskyy also gave an interview to Czech television CT24, acknowledging the difficulties that Ukraine's soldiers face.

"If you look at the battlefield, you understand that no one rests in war," he said. "I completely understand what is happening, and there are moments of crisis, emotional waves and physical exhaustion, because this is a war. "

He added that Ukraine is defending the homeland and "everyone understands the price" and noted that Ukraine is "holding on and defending our independence, which means that from a general point of view we have heroic soldiers and a strong people supporting them."

During earlier meetings with President Petr Pavel, Zelenskyy said Putin could end the war "with a single decision" but "has not shown any willingness" to do so.

Renewed Western efforts to resolve the conflict, pushed in large part by US President Donald Trump, have begun to falter, as Russia continues to press its advantage on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Despite an earlier tentative agreement to limit attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine and Russia have also continued to target oil pipelines, power plants, electricity transmission lines, and other crucial sites.

The Czech government has headed a global effort to source and send artillery shells to Ukraine. In February, Pavel said more than 1.6 million shells had been delivered to date as part of that program.

Ukraine faces a critical shortage of ammunition in its battle to repel Russian forces that launched a full-scale invasion in February 2022.

Russia is said to have a 3:1 advantage in ammunition supplies and has pledged to increase its output this year as part of a 25 percent increase in military spending for 2025.

Iran says it has "successfully" tested a new ballistic missile that it claims can reach Israel and penetrate some of the most advanced missile-defense systems in the world.

Amid growing concerns in the West over Tehran's advancing nuclear and missile programs, Iran's state TV on May 4 aired footage of the Qassem Basir missile being tested and apparently hitting its target.

Iranian Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said the solid-fueled missile has a range of 1,200 kilometers and can penetrate Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), an advanced anti-missile system that the United States deployed to Israel last year.

Nasirzadeh said the new missile was developed by addressing weaknesses revealed during operations True Promise 1 and 2 -- Iran's missile and drone attacks on Israel in April and October last year.

The minister asserted that the missile had been upgraded in both guidance and maneuverability to help it get through layers of air defense and claimed it was resistant to electronic jamming.

Tasnim news agency, which is affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), said Qassem Basir is an upgraded version of the Martyr Hajj Qassem missile, which was named after slain IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani and unveiled in 2020.

The missile was unveiled on the same day that Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen launched a missile attack near Israel's Ben Gurion Airport, injuring several people and briefly disrupting air traffic.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu blamed the attack on Iranian support for the Houthis and pledged retaliation against both the Yemeni group and Tehran.

The missile notably evaded sophisticated air defense systems. Israel is said to have had two THAAD batteries and at least one Arrow 3 interceptor system in operation at the time of the attack.

Experts say the Qassem Basir missile marks the first usage by Tehran of optical seekers on a medium-range ballistic missile.

Russian-based weapons expert Yuri Lyamin noted that the new medium-range ballistic missile was now Iran's "most long-ranged" missile equipped with electro optical (EO) seekers, replacing the short-range ballistic missile Zolfaghar Basir.

Fabian Hinz, a researcher at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, explained that -- in theory -- this missile uses its own camera to navigate by matching what it sees against stored visual information. This means there's no external radio signal to interrupt, making it effectively jamming-resistant.

Hinz told RFE/RL that the accuracy of Iranian missiles that struck Israel, especially last October, "was not great." He attributed it to potential signal jamming, which is what prompted Iran to work on developing missiles that use EO seekers.

Nasirzadeh warned that any military aggression from the United States or Israel would prompt a global response targeting their assets and bases.

He stressed that while Iran does not seek confrontation, it will respond "firmly" if challenged.

US President Donald Trump says the goal of negotiations with Iran is to ensure the "total dismantlement" of Tehran's nuclear program but would consider allowing Iran to maintain a civilian nuclear energy program.

In an interview with NBC on May 4, Trump said tearing down Iran's nuclear program would be "all I'd accept."

The comment marks the first time Trump has explicitly said what he hopes to do with Iran's nuclear program, which Tehran maintains is peaceful.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested last week that Washington would be open to letting Iran operate a peaceful civil nuclear program, saying, "There's a way to do it."

"You build the reactors and you import enriched uranium to fuel those reactors. That's how dozens of countries around the world do it," he told Fox News on May 1.

Trump appeared to echo Rubio's remarks, telling NBC that he would be "open to hearing it."

"Civilian energy, it's called. But you know, civilian energy often leads to military wars. And we don't want to have them have a nuclear weapon. It's a very simple deal," he added.

Trump said a civilian nuclear program would be used to generate electricity, but given Iran is an energy-rich country it would not really need it.

"My inclination is to say, 'What do you need that for? You have a lot of oil,'" he said.

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, said Trump's comments had made it clear the administration was not looking for a revamped version of the 2015 nuclear deal with Iran.

"This interview calls that fantasy into question," he wrote on X.

Meanwhile, others insist Trump's comment suggests he is still undecided.

"Maybe one could argue that Trump's team still does not exactly know what it wants from Iran, but he himself desires a deal different from the JCPOA," wrote Iran-based foreign policy analyst Rahman Qahremanpour, referring to the 2015 nuclear deal.

Iran has rejected calls to dismantle its nuclear program and give up its ability to enrich uranium.

Responding to Trump's comment, an Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman on May 5 said Iran has "a right to peaceful nuclear energy" and dismissed Trump's oil remark.

"Iran's peaceful nuclear program goes back to the 1970s, when Iran had more fossil fuel and less consumption," Esmail Baqaei said during a weekly press conference.

"Therefore, some fallacious comments about Iran having access to expansive fossil fuel reserves and not needing nuclear energy have no basis in science or reality."

Iran and the United States have held three rounds of nuclear discussions since last month. Mediated by Oman, a fourth round was slated for May 2 in Rome but was postponed due to what Muscat called "logistical reasons."

British police have arrested eight men -- including seven Iranian nationals -- in two apparently unrelated counterterrorism operations, officers said on May 4, and authorities are attempting to determine if there are “any further risks” to the public.

"These were two major operations that reflect some of the biggest counter-state threat and counterterrorism operations that we have seen in recent years," Interior Secretary Yvette Cooper told reporters on May 4.

Specific details remained scarce regarding to two actions.

London's Metropolitan Police said five men, including four Iranians, were arrested on May 3 over a suspected plot to target a specific, undisclosed site. Authorities said they were still attempting to determine the nationality of the fifth suspect.

Separately, three Iranian nationals aged between 39 and 55 were arrested in London in a second operation that was not related to the first matter, the Metropolitan Police said.

The Iranian Embassy in London did not immediately comment on the arrests.

In the first incident, the men, aged 29 to 40, were detained in West London and in Swindon, Stockport, Rochdale, and Manchester, police said.

"The investigation relates to a suspected plot to target a specific premises. Officers have been in contact with the affected site to make them aware and provide relevant advice and support, but for operational reasons, we are not able to provide further information at this time," a police statement said.

Commander Dominic Murphy, chief of London police's Counter Terrorism Command, said, "We are exploring various lines of enquiry to...identify whether there may be any further risk to the public linked to this matter."

Authorities said the suspects are undergoing questioning and have not yet been formally charged.

In the second case, the three Iranian nationals were detained under the National Security Act, authorities said, without disclosing further details.

Searches were ongoing at their addresses, the police statement read.

The arrests come at a time of intensified tensions over suspected Tehran-supported activities in Britain.

Last year, Ken McCallum, the head of Britain's domestic spy service, said that since 2022, authorities had responded to 20 Iran-linked plots that potentially posed lethal threats to the public.

At the time, McCallum said hostile states, radicalized individuals, and the revitalized Islamic State (IS) terror group have combined to create “the most complex and interconnected threat environment we’ve ever seen.”

In March 2024, Pouria Zeraati, a presenter at a Persian-language media organization in London critical of the Iranian government, was stabbed in the leg outside his home in London.

Two men were later arrested in Romania and charged over the attack on Zeraati, a TV host for the Iran International news network.

With reporting by Reuters and AP