Our Proposal for a Halt to the Strikes, for a Ceasefire of at Least 30 Days, Still Stands – Address by the President

7 May 2025 – 22:01

Dear Ukrainians!

Today, air raid sirens across Ukraine have sounded almost the entire day. Overnight, there was yet another Russian attack with missiles and drones – ballistic strikes and more than 140 attack drones in a single night. It was loud in Kyiv and in other cities. Tragically, there are wounded. Tragically, there are killed. My condolences to all the families and loved ones. Rescue efforts continue all day in Kharkiv, Sumy, and the capital. I am grateful to all our people who save and help every day. Each mobile fire group, all interceptor drone crews, each air defense unit, our combat aviation – I thank you for your effective duty shifts.

Each week, we work to make our Ukrainian skies more protected, and these weeks are no exception. Work continues with our partners, so we can not only receive new air defense systems and missiles for them but also localize the production of the necessary systems and missiles in Ukraine. This is one of the strategic decisions needed. And not just for our country, but for overall security in Europe – the protection of Ukraine’s sky is one of the foundations of the future security architecture.

And it is entirely fair that the Russian sky – the sky of the aggressor – is not calm either today. Our proposal for a halt to the strikes, for a ceasefire of at least 30 days, still stands – we are not withdrawing this proposal, as it offers a real chance for diplomacy. But it is Russia that the world sees giving no answer – no response except for new strikes. This clearly and obviously shows who is the source of this war. Russia must end its aggression – and it will have to. The only question is time. War is a loss for everyone, including the aggressor. Sanctions against Russia for this war will increase – and these are significant sanctions. Global justice will also work – in many respects, unfortunately, slowly, but what’s important, inevitably. And we are preparing updates on this, and we are expediting justice. Today, there was also a report from Commander-in-Chief Syrskyi regarding our active operations in the Kursk and Belgorod regions. We are defending the Ukrainian land from enemy activities along the border. I want to thank every unit, all our soldiers, all our sergeants, and commanders today – thank you all for your resilience and real strength, the strength that Ukraine needs so much.

And one more thing.

Tomorrow, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is set to ratify the economic partnership agreement with the United States of America. The agreement is designed to align with Ukraine’s national interests. Security and economy always go hand in hand. We need decades of predictable and tangible economic growth. The strategic vision of America is to create new economic partnerships. This will work for Ukraine’s defense and for our defense cooperation. Ukraine’s strategic vision is to involve partners in real work here, in Ukraine, to invest here, and develop production on our land. This is exactly what we are doing. It is important that all Members of the Parliament realize the significance of this agreement and support the prospects it opens up.

I thank everyone who stands with Ukraine. I thank everyone who is defending our state.

Glory to Ukraine!

Georgia:

Gathering for Day 161 of #GeorgiaProtests

From our friends, we need further targeted sanctions, non-engagement with the regime, and aid with funding CSOs and independent media as possible.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 1:51 PM

Someone brought a little monkey in a diaper at the protest! #GeorgiaProtests

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM

Obligatory:

1/ The Ministry of Internal Affairs has initiated another new administrative case against the founder of Netgazeti/Batumelebi, Mzia Amaghlobeli. The court hearing will take place today at 12:00 PM at the Batumi City Court.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:31 AM

2/ According to Batumelebi, the Ministry accuses the detained journalist of placing a sticker on an auxiliary structure in front of the police department on January 11, 2025. The case has been launched under Article 150, Part 1 of the Administrative Offenses Code.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:31 AM

3/ Mzia Amaglobeli — journalist and a founder-director of the newspaper Batumelebi and the online platform Netgazeti — was arrested on allegations of assaulting a police officer.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:31 AM

4/ She faces a prison sentence of 4 to 7 years. As a form of protest, Mzia Amaglobeli went on a hunger strike for 38 days.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:31 AM

5/ Numerous international and local organisations, as well as journalists and civil activists, consider Amaghlobeli a political prisoner, arguing that the charges against her are absurd and her detention unlawful. The gov’t argues that slapping a policeman is a serious offence.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:31 AM

JUST IN: US Embassy in Tbilisi warns of bomb threats at three of Tbilisi’s major shopping centers: Galleria Tbilisi, East Point, and Tbilisi Mall in Dighomi.

Georgia hardly ever gets a bomb threat. This is very unusual. And I wonder where our “government” is, keeping silent.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM

The Georgian Dream party congress lasted 19 minutes – its location was announced last minute and protesters were beginning to gather nearby.

Illegitimate PM Irakli Kobakhidze was named party chairman. Kobakhidze thus gets literal👇🏻and figurative embrace of Bidzina Ivanishvili.

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 7:15 AM

Georgian Dream party approved new political council. It was also announced today that the position of the party chairman will be held by the Georgian Dream’s Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 6:58 AM

1/ The witness, police officer Giorgi Zabakhidze, was questioned in the case involving eight individuals arrested on protest-related charges. He is a victim in the case.

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— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM

2/ On November 28, 2024, I was performing my official duties at the intersection of Rustaveli and Chichinadze.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM

3/ […] Objects began being thrown at us… A stone struck me in the eye, causing an injury. I was taken by ambulance and transferred to the Medical Center, where I received 6 stitches and treatment for the bruising. My right eye was damaged and I can barely see from that eye,” he said.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM

4/ When asked by the defense lawyer if he had seen who shot at him, the witness replied that he had not. He also stated that he could not identify any of the accused and did not recall whether he had seen any of them at the scene.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM

5/ Today, the Tbilisi City Court held a hearing for eight individuals arrested during pro-European protests.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM

6/ Five face charges for group violence (Article 225, Part 2 – 4 to 6 years imprisonment), while three are charged with organising the violence (Article 225, Part 1 – 6 to 9 years imprisonment). The detainees deny the charges, claiming political motivation.

— Publika.ge (@publikage.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:45 PM

Regime propagandists are increasingly losing it.

The combination of the continuity protests and sharper external steps such as the MEGOBARI Act and international sanctions & non-engagement is beginning to work.

The man: “What if they bring us down tomorrow?” 1/2

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— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM

The woman: “Well, yeah, but they haven’t brought us down yet, right?”

The man: “Yes, but the process of overthrowing us has begun!”

Indeed 🔥 2/2.

— Marika Mikiashvili 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇪🇺 (@marikamikiashvili.bsky.social) May 6, 2025 at 7:59 PM

The US:

Exclusive: Ukraine is starting to consider a shift away from the US dollar, possibly linking its currency more closely to the euro amid the splintering of global trade and its growing ties to Europe, Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi told Reuters reut.rs/4m2Q9aO

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— Reuters (@reuters.com) May 7, 2025 at 4:32 PM

From Reuters:

LONDON, May 7 (Reuters) – Ukraine is starting to consider a shift away from the U.S. dollar, possibly linking its currency more closely to the euro amid the splintering of global trade and its growing ties to Europe, Central Bank Governor Andriy Pyshnyi told Reuters.

Potential accession to the European Union, a “strengthening of the EU’s role in ensuring our defense capabilities, greater volatility in global markets, and the probability of global-trade fragmentation,” are forcing the central bank to review whether the euro should be the reference currency for Ukraine’s hryvnia instead of the dollar, Pyshnyi said in emailed remarks.

“This work is complex and requires high-quality, versatile preparation,” Pyshnyi added, in the most direct comments by a Ukrainian official on a possible shift.

The dollar dominates international trade and accounts for the majority of global reserves, opens new tab. Major economies including Saudi Arabia and Hong Kong peg their currencies to the dollar.

But under President Donald Trump, the U.S. has unleashed a trade war by introducing what could be the highest tariffs in a century, a move that has prompted some observers to question the future role of the dollar as global reserve currency.

Now in the fourth year of fighting an invasion by Russia, Ukraine has also seen Trump temporarily cut off some military assistance to the country.

European leaders, including from the EU, have vowed to strengthen Kyiv’s army to ensure it can be the cornerstone of future security in Ukraine but progress has been difficult.

Meanwhile, Ukraine struck an agreement that gives the United States preferential access to new Ukrainian mineral deals and which funds investment in the nation’s reconstruction.

Since Trump’s return to the White House, the greenback (.DXY), opens new tab is down more than 9% against a basket of major currencies as investors pull back from owning U.S. assets.

Some experts warn against associating the strength of the dollar to its reserve-currency status. Yet historically, dollar holdings have been linked to security alliances and military ties, opens new tab to Washington.

Transactions with the U.S. dollar continue to dominate all segments of the FX market, said Pyshnyi, but the share of euro-denominated transactions has been rising in most segments though “so far moderately.” He did not elaborate.

Ukraine launched the hryvnia in 1996, and over the decades it has used the dollar as the reference currency.

Immediately after Russia’s invasion in February 2022, the central bank imposed capital controls and pegged the hryvnia at an official rate of about 29 to the U.S. dollar. Ukraine was forced to devalue later due to a buildup of fiscal imbalances.

In October 2023, the central bank moved from a firm peg to a managed exchange-rate regime that uses the U.S. dollar as the reference – the gauge to measure FX interventions and for smoothing fluctuations in the exchange rate.

The EU opened membership talks with Ukraine and Moldova nearly a year ago, although a long and tough road lies ahead before it could join the bloc. EU President Ursula von der Leyen said in February that Ukraine could be in by 2030 provided it continued to enact reforms to its political and judicial system at the current pace.

More at the link,

Britain:

Back to Ukraine:

Notifications on phone be like… when you live in Ukraine.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 3:43 PM

Possibly the largest drone attack by democratic Ukraine on fascist Russia yet.

As I frequently note: “The war will continue to rise in intensity and expand in geography until the West gives Ukraine full military backing so that it can defeat fascist Russia more quickly.”

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 5:57 AM

Ukrainian drones still flying into Russia, towards Moscow. Drones have been in the air for 34 hours now, according to t.me/dronbomber. Airports in chaos in fascist Russia. Meanwhile, air alert – ballistics – just rang out in Kyiv.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 10:13 AM

More Russian/Iranian drone launches reported: This is the most intense exchange of air attacks between democratic Ukraine and fascist Russia since the beginning of the full- scale war. Previously, Ukraine did not have the capability of answering Russian attacks – it does now.

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— Euan MacDonald (@euanmacdonald.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 10:33 AM

⚡🕊 At this hour good drones continue to prepare (attack) for the May 9 parade on Russia! 🔥

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 9:09 AM

⚡ It turns out that Ukraine can close the skies over Russia and create a kind of “no-fly zone” even without NATO’s involvement. Flights canceled – 300+52 of them were supposed to fly to Moscow.
More than 60,000 passengers are stranded at airports across Russia because of drone attacks.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 9:09 AM

Russians film their BUK air defense system burning after the strike.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 9:38 AM

The first video of the combat use of the North Korean 240-mm MLRS M-1991 in Ukraine. t.me/TyskNIP/15972

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 3:00 AM

Kyiv:

All night Russian drones terrorized people in Kyiv. Residential buildings hit across the city, two killed.

Russia’s “Victory Day” is soaked in blood and war crimes.

And in two days, some will still go to Moscow to shake Putin’s hand. Shame

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— Maria Avdeeva (@mariainkharkiv.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 1:16 AM

Kyiv was attacked by Russian missiles and drones last night. Two people—a woman and her son—were killed. Seven others, including children, were injured.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 7:03 AM

While military facilities are burning in Russia, ordinary homes are burning in Kyiv.

Overnight, the Russians launched 4 ballistic missiles and 142 drones at Ukraine – half of them were Shaheds. They also struck Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk region, Zhytomyr region, Kherson region, and Dnipro region.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:47 AM

Kharkiv Oblast:

This is the kind of surprises people find on their yards in Ukraine.

Russian Aerial Bomb KAB-500 did not detonate when landed in the Kharkiv region. Thankfully. It’s taken care of now.

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— Kate from Kharkiv (@kateinkharkiv.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM

The Chornobyl nuclear exclusion zone:

Why would we not use seized Russian assets to pay for this?

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— Chris Kendall 👊🇪🇺🧶 (@ottocr.at) May 7, 2025 at 5:11 AM

Inside the Chornobyl exclusion zone – in pictures www.theguardian.com/world/galler…

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— Dr Paul Dorfman (@drpauldorfman.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 12:12 PM

The Guardian has a full pictorial spread at this link.

The Kinburn Spit, Mykolaiv Oblast:

💥💪 Destruction of a dugout with russian occupants and detonation of a BC on Kinburn Spit.
122 OBR TRO crushes the enemy on the only occupied part of Mykolaivshchyna.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 1:49 PM

The Pokrovsk direction:

🇺🇦🦾 National Guardsmen from the 3rd Brigade “Spartan” under the cover of a heavy machine gun repelled an enemy position in the Pokrovske direction.

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 11:35 AM

On the Pokrovsk front, Ukrainian Marines of the 37th Separate Brigade repelled multiple Russian infantry assaults conducted on motorcycles, without armored support.

Over the past week, more than 130 Russian troops and 20 motorcycles were destroyed.

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— 🦋Special Kherson Cat🐈🇺🇦 (@specialkhersoncat.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 1:20 PM

Moscow Oblast:

“Sorry. The ATM is temporarily out of service.” – Russian media report that ATMs in the Moscow region have started shutting down due to internet issues. Cash registers are also not working, and purchases can only be made with cash.

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— WarTranslated (Dmitri) (@wartranslated.bsky.social) May 7, 2025 at 5:59 AM

That’s enough for tonight.

Your daily Patron!

There are no new Patron skeets or videos today.

Here is some adjacent material:

🐶👒 Dear Odesites and guests of our city! It’s getting very hot outside, so don’t forget your hat!
#Ukraine #dogs

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— Vitalis Viva (@vitalisviva.bsky.social) May 6, 2025 at 7:38 AM

Open thread!