As reported by Latvian public broadcaster LSM, on 7 May, Latvia reported unidentified drones entering its airspace from Russia.

Emergency services later found what may be debris from a drone at an oil storage facility in Rēzekne.

Guntars Skudra, head of the Rēzekne District Council, said one of the drones had struck an empty oil tank.

On 3 May, residents of several regions in Latvia and Estonia were warned of a potential drone threat linked to Russia's aggression against Ukraine.

Around the same time, a drone also violated Finnish airspace near the Russian border.

Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo later stressed to Volodymyr Zelenskyy that such incidents are unacceptable.

"Today [6 May – ed.], the funds and valuables of Oschadbank that were seized by Hungarian special services in March of this year were returned. At the time, the Hungarian side unlawfully detained Ukrainian cash-in-transit officers. We brought our people back sooner, and now both the funds and the valuables are back on Ukrainian territory in full," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wrote on X.

Zelenskyy thanked Hungary for what he described as a constructive and civilised step.

He also expressed gratitude to the Ukrainian team "who fought for a fair decision" and defended Ukraine's interests.

In early March, the National Bank of Ukraine reported that Hungarian authorities had detained Ukrainian cash-in-transit guards and seized a large amount of currency.

The valuables in the seized vehicles amounted to US$40 million, €35 million and 9 kilograms of gold.

Hungary later released the cash-in-transit workers and passed legislation providing for the confiscation of the currency and valuables from Oschadbank's cash-in-transit vehicles.

A senior member of Orbán's government later effectively acknowledged that the incident involving the cash-in-transit guards was a response to Ukraine's "blocking" of the Druzhba oil pipeline.

In April, it was reported that Zelenskyy planned to discuss with Péter Magyar, whose Tisza party won the elections in Hungary, the return of Oschadbank funds allegedly "stolen" by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

On 5 May, the Council of the European Union approved a decision for the EU to sign the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the special tribunal concerning Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The tribunal will target senior Russian political and military leadership, including Vladimir Putin.

The approval means the EU will sign the agreement once it is adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

At a later stage, once a sufficient number of Council of Europe member states have declared their intention to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement, the European Commission will submit a proposal to the Council of the EU to conclude the agreement.

The Council of the EU will then seek consent from the European Parliament.

Following parliamentary approval and ratification, the EU will formally sign the agreement and join the tribunal as a co-founder.

The EU is expected to play a leading role in the tribunal's work and to join its management committee.

The special tribunal will have a mandate to prosecute top political and military leaders for the crime of aggression against Ukraine. It is being established under the auspices of the Council of Europe following a 25 June 2025 agreement with Ukraine.

A total of 24 countries – most recently Belgium – have declared their intention to join the Enlarged Partial Agreement on the special tribunal to investigate Russia's crime of aggression against Ukraine.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said the agreement will be put to a vote at a meeting of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe on 14-15 May in Chisinau.

In early June 2026, the EU is preparing the seventh tranche of financial assistance to Ukraine under the Ukraine Facility mechanism, amounting to €2.8 billion.

"The Council of the EU is currently considering a proposal regarding the implementation of a decision on providing Ukraine with the seventh tranche of the Ukraine Facility, which provides for a payment of €2.8 billion. The disbursement is planned for the very beginning of June," an EU official familiar with the financing process told European Pravda on condition of anonymity.

They noted that the amount is based on reforms carried out by Ukraine, including commitments that Kyiv had pledged to fulfil in 2025, accounting for €1.2 billion.

As for the seventh tranche – tied to first-quarter 2026 commitments – Ukraine has completed only 11 out of the 20 planned steps, which will still allow it to receive €1.6 billion.

Overall, under the Ukraine Facility mechanism, Ukraine has already received €36.8 billion in six tranches – in the form of budget support, humanitarian and other assistance; mostly as loans but also as grants.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos stated that Ukraine had met a number of requirements to receive the new tranche under the Ukraine Facility.

A requirement to carry out tax reform will be included among the conditions for Ukraine to receive future tranches of macro-financial assistance under the EU's €90 billion loan programme.

The EU is setting stricter reform conditions for Ukraine to receive macro-financial tranches, while Kyiv is resisting some of Brussels' demands.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said Norway, working with its European partners, is funding US military aid packages to support Ukraine's defence efforts.

Reporting that Norway is making another important contribution, he said he hopes that more European countries will join efforts to ensure Ukraine quickly receives vital military equipment.

With this new contribution, Norway has provided more than NOK 12.5 billion (US$1.35 billion) through the PURL programme in total.

At an informal summit of European Union member states in late April, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that three more countries had joined the PURL programme.

Prior to this, Ukraine's Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov stated that several countries had announced new contributions to the PURL scheme at a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

On 4 May, Canada announced that it will contribute an additional US$200 million to the programme.

As reported by a European Pravda correspondent in Brussels, the EU plans to formalise tax reform in Ukraine as one of the conditions for receiving the macro-financial component of the €90 billion assistance programme.

"We're currently still in negotiations in very advanced stages with Ukrainian authorities on conditionality underpinning our macro-financial assistance programme," Valdis Dombrovskis, European Commissioner for Economy and Productivity, Implementation and Simplification, said.

Given that negotiations with Ukraine are ongoing, the official declined to provide further details but confirmed that tax reform is part of the EU's requirements.

"Domestic revenue mobilisation is an important part of those negotiations, as is tax reform, but exact modalities and elements are still under discussion," the commissioner added.

The EU is setting tighter reform conditions for Ukraine to receive macro-financial tranches, including the introduction of unpopular changes to business taxation.

The Financial Times reported that Kyiv is resisting Brussels' call to raise business taxes as a condition for receiving part of the €90 billion in assistance.

As reported by Finnish public broadcaster Yle, as events unfolded over the Gulf of Finland on the morning of 3 May, Ukraine was carrying out a drone attack on the Russian oil port of Primorsk, located about 50 km from the Finnish border.

"We will not allow this. They must plan their operations so that the risk of deviations due to Russian interference is minimised so that something like this cannot happen," Häkkänen said.

The minister noted that he was "immediately" informed about the situation on Sunday morning. He said Finnish Air Force Hornet fighter jets and army helicopters were deployed to track the drones.

In response to the incident, Finland introduced a temporary no-fly zone in the area.

The Finnish Armed Forces stated that a decision was made not to intercept or shoot down the drones, as they were too close to the Russian border.

According to Häkkänen, the use of Finnish airspace in such a manner is unacceptable.

"Using our airspace for such operations is completely prohibited. It is unequivocally prohibited. We have very strongly communicated to the Ukrainian state that even these drones that have strayed due to negligence are a reprehensible thing," Häkkänen said.

In late March and early April, four drones identified as Ukrainian, intended to strike Russian territory, were found in various locations in south-eastern Finland.

On 3 May, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, during a visit to Yerevan, proposed to the Finnish prime minister signing an agreement on drones.

As reported by ABC News, when asked an interview with radio host Hugh Hewitt whether the ceasefire had collapsed, Trump replied: "Well, I can't tell you that." On whether recent hostilities signalled a renewed conflict, he said that "one way or the other, we win."

"We either make the right deal or we win very easily. From the military standpoint, we've already won that. You know, you've heard me say it a million times, and other people say it. They had 159 ships. Hugh, now they have none. They're all at the bottom of the sea," Trump said.

Trump did not confirm whether Iran had violated the ceasefire, saying "we'll see what happens" and instead started boasting about the US military capabilities.

The US president said the conflict could continue for "probably another two weeks" or "maybe three weeks", stressing that "time is not of the essence for us" and claiming the war has strong public support.

Trump said the US has "control" over the Strait of Hormuz amid the launch of the Operation Project Freedom. "They said they were going to take over the Homruz Strait, and then we thought they might have. We took it over from them," Trump said of Iran.

Regarding oil markets, he suggested prices could rise further – potentially up to US$250 – while arguing that ships are now heading to the US for oil supplies.

On 4 May, Trump announced Operation Project Freedom aimed at freeing vessels stuck in the Strait of Hormuz. Iranian military officials warned that US forces would be targeted if they approached the area.

United States Central Command said it would deploy destroyers, more than 100 aircraft and 15,000 troops to escort ships through the strait as part of the operation.

The alliance aims to strengthen the security and defence of the EU and Ukraine by developing an innovative industrial ecosystem in the field of defence drones, the European Commission said.

The initiative follows European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen's 2025 State of the Union address, in which she outlined measures to counter the growing threat of drone warfare.

"The EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance will support the development of advanced drone and counter-drone technologies. As an industry-led ecosystem, it will contribute to European efforts to build a comprehensive drone and counter-drone capability, building on the Defence Readiness Roadmap 2030 and the Commission's Action Plan on Drone and Counter Drone Security," the European Commission stated.

Founding members will be selected from applicants with experience in the EU and Ukrainian defence drone ecosystem. They will form the initial governing board of the EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance and play a key role in shaping its activities and priorities.

The alliance is expected to begin operations in the coming months, with applications open until 25 May 2026.

On 16 October, the European Commission presented the EU Defence Roadmap, in which Ukraine was identified as a key component of the EU's defence readiness.

The UK government said in a press release dated 5 May that as Russia attempts to use migrants to bolster its military machine, the sanctions announced on Tuesday directly target individuals involved in trafficking migrants to be sent to the front lines, as well as companies supplying products to Russian drone manufacturing facilities.

The latest measures target 35 individuals and organisations, including those responsible for human trafficking networks.

The press release noted that the networks sanctioned by the UK have been fraudulently recruiting foreign migrants seeking a better life and "either sending them to the front line as cannon fodder or putting them to work in weapons factories".

"This includes through schemes like Russia's Alabuga Start programme for drone production at a UK-sanctioned entity," the press release reads.

The fresh sanctions also include individuals and entities from third countries, notably Thailand and China, responsible for supplying Russia with drone components and other critical military goods.

Among those hit by the UK sanctions is Pavel Nikitin, whose company develops the VT-40, a cheap Russian attack drone widely used in attacks on Ukraine.

Three individuals who recruit people to fight for Russia have also been sanctioned.

Among them is Polina Alexandrovna Azarnykh, who, with support from the Russian state, has been facilitating the transport of individuals from countries including Egypt, Iraq, Côte d'Ivoire, Nigeria, Morocco, Syria and Yemen to Russia, from where they are sent to the front lines.

UK Sanctions Minister Stephen Doughty believes "the practice of exploiting vulnerable people to prop up Russia's failing and illegal war in Ukraine is barbaric".

"These sanctions expose and disrupt the operations of those trafficking migrants as cannon fodder and feeding Putin's drone factories with illicit components to target innocent civilians and vital infrastructure," Doughty said.

In late March, British military personnel were authorised to board vessels from Russia's "shadow fleet" transiting through British waters.

At the end of April, it emerged that the UK government was preparing to introduce more stringent controls on the issuing of export licences to prevent potential breaches of sanctions against Russia.