You missed the latest developments on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes will update you every evening. Here is the essential news from Monday, May 11, 2026, the 1,538th day of the conflict.
The fact of the day
After Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed naming former German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder as a mediator in the war in Ukraine, suggesting that the conflict could “approach its end,” European leaders expressed skepticism on Monday.
“Gerhard Schröder has been a lobbyist for Russian state-owned companies, so we can clearly see why Putin wants him. It wouldn’t be very wise to give Russia the right to appoint a negotiator on our behalf,” said European Union foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas.
German Defense Minister suspected Putin’s statements were a “ruse”. “If he sees the end of this war approaching, why doesn’t he simply put an end to it? He would then be in control of the schedule,” Boris Pistorius said from Kiev, noting that Putin has a history of “playing with rigged cards” whenever there has been talk of a ceasefire in Ukraine.
According to Boris Pistorius, the Russian president, faced with increasing military losses and minimal territorial gains, was “seeking to divert attention from his own weaknesses.”
Quote of the day
“The dynamics of the war are changing”
These words were signed by Kaja Kallas. The EU’s foreign affairs chief stated on Monday that the conflict’s dynamics were shifting in favor of Ukraine. “Ukraine is in a much better position than it was a year ago,” she said during a press conference.
She mentioned “record losses by Moscow on the battlefield,” “deep strikes” conducted by Kiev in Russian territory, and the modest commemorations of May 9, 1945, in the Russian capital last Saturday without military equipment. President Putin has “never been in such a weak position,” Kaja Kallas emphasized.
Number of the day
24. That’s the number of individuals (16) and Russian organizations (7) sanctioned for forcibly transferring Ukrainian children to Russia or occupied Ukrainian territories, the EU announced on Monday. Among the targeted entities are structures linked to the Russian Ministry of Education accused of indoctrination, ideological teaching, and militarization of minors. Their assets in Europe have been frozen, and the sanctioned individuals are barred from entering the EU.
Our feature on the war in Ukraine
“Since the beginning of the Russian aggression against Ukraine, nearly 20,500 Ukrainian children have been forcibly transferred,” the EU reported. Around 210 sites have been identified in Crimea and Russia, including Siberia, where operations of “Ukrainianization” and “cultural erasure” have allegedly been underway.
At this stage, approximately 2,100 children have been reunited with their families, including around a hundred through international mediation, according to the same anonymous source.
The trend
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Monday that hostilities with the Russian army continued despite a three-day ceasefire negotiated by the United States, accusing Russia of not wanting to end the four-year-old war.
“Today, there was no silence on the front, there were battles. We have noted everything,” said Volodymyr Zelensky in his evening address, in the final hours of the truce. “We also see that Russia has no intention of ending this war. Unfortunately, it is preparing for new attacks,” he lamented.
