Nick Thorpe
Reporting from Budapest

Image source, Reuters

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen had supper with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban on Monday evening at the Carmelite Monastery in Buda castle, which is now the PM's office, in Budapest.

No breakthrough was achieved on the proposed sixth sanctions package, which Orban says he will veto in its current form, although von der Leyen tweeted, external that their talks "helped clarify questions about sanctions and energy security".

A photograph released appears to show von der Leyen drinking orange juice, Orban champagne.

"We made progress, but further work is needed. I will convene a video conference with regional players to strengthen regional co-operation on oil infrastructure," she said.

That is expected on Tuesday, with a new meeting of the 27 ambassadors scheduled for Wednesday, according to Hungarian media.

EU sources suggest the commission is offering access to the sea to bring non-Russian oil to landlocked countries like Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Hungary wants hundreds of millions of euros to adapt its main refineries to take Brent crude.

The Hungarian government is also trying to link any financial compensatory package to the release of €7.2bn (£5.8bn), withheld from Hungary from the post-Covid Recovery and Resilience package over rule of law issues.

Image source, Reuters

If you're just joining us or need a catch-up, here's a look at the latest developments in Ukraine:

• Ukrainian authorities confirm there have been missile strikes on the southern port city of Odesa, killing one person and injuring five, when a shopping centre and a depot were hit
• At least 100 civilians are still trapped inside the sprawling Azovstal steelworks in the city of Mariupol. The steel plant, which is under heavy fire, has been attacked by Russia for weeks
• Ukraine and the EU have discussed preventing a "global food crisis" with immediate measures to unblock Ukraine's ports for grain exports after Russia's blockade of Black Sea ports
• The bodies of 44 civilians have been found in the rubble of a five-storey building in Izyum that was destroyed by Russian forces in March
• Russian forces claim to have thwarted several attempts by Ukrainian troops to recapture Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea

Image source, OLI SCARFF

US climate envoy John Kerry says the war in Ukraine has not wrecked the Glasgow Climate Pact agreed last year.

Russia's invasion has "presented a challenge" in the battle against global warming but one that can be overcome, he says.

He says there remains a question mark over what will happen with Russia's emissions, but the war has forced Europe to act faster.

"What Vladimir Putin has done by using gas energy as a weapon, is to convince Europe that it has to move faster," Kerry says.

"So, in fact, Europe is going to try to move to deploy renewable energy, wind, solar, etc, much faster than they originally had planned."

Read more on this story here.

Image source, Reuters

As we reported on Monday, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, had to take cover in a bomb shelter during his visit to Odesa due to an incoming Russian missile attack

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal described the scene in a tweet, external: "Official part of our meeting with [Charles Michel] was interrupted today by air raid alert and missiles fired by aggressor near Odesa.

"Used every minute in the bomb shelter to tackle joint actions: how to stop Russia and rebuild Ukraine. Grateful for the visit of a true Ukraine friend," Shmyhal said, attaching a photo of Michel and him having a conversation in a shelter in the tweet.

It was later reported by Odesa governor Serhiy Bratchuk that one person was killed and five other injured as seven Russian missiles hit Odesa on Monday.

The sprawling Azovstal steelworks in the devastated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol still has at least 100 civilians trapped there, according to an aide to the city's mayor.

The civilians' presence "does not reduce the density of attacks by [Russian] occupiers", mayoral aide Petro Andryushchenko is quoted as saying on messaging app Telegram by Reuters news agency.

The steel plant, which Russia has been attacking for weeks, is under heavy fire.

Fighters from the Azov battalion trapped inside have vowed not to surrender to Russia.

Image source, .

The bodies of 44 civilians have been found in the rubble of a five-storey building in Izyum that was destroyed by Russian forces in March, according to a Ukrainian official.

"The bodies of 44 civilians were found in the temporarily occupied Izyum from under the rubble of a five-storey building, which was destroyed by the occupiers in the first decade of March," Oleg Sinegubov, head of Kharkiv regional military administration, has said.

"This is another horrible war crime of the Russian military against the civilian population," he said on Telegram.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Image source, Getty Images

Ukraine and the EU have discussed taking "immediate measures to unblock Ukraine's ports for grain exports" after Russia's blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea ports has forced its grain exporters to look for alternatives to move their cargo.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he discussed preventing "a global food crisis triggered by Russia's aggressive actions" during talks with European Council President Charles Michel on his visit to Odesa on Monday.

Before the war, Ukraine exported 4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports -12% of the world's wheat, 15% of its corn and 50% of its sunflower oil, the AFP news agency reports.

But the invasion has crippled its export capacity, with Russia destroying transportation infrastructure and blockading Odesa, the main port for grain exports.

"In the port of Odesa, I saw silos full of grain, wheat and corn ready for export," Michel said.

"This badly needed food is stranded because of the Russian war and blockade of Black Sea ports causing dramatic consequences for vulnerable countries. We need a global response," he added.

Image source, UKRAINIAN NAVAL FORCES

Russian forces have thwarted several attempts by Ukrainian troops in the past two days to recapture Zmiinyi (Snake) Island in the Black Sea, the Russian Defence Ministry has claimed in an update.

Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov says Ukraine has made "several desperate attempts" to land air and sea assaults on Zmiinyi Island.

He says more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers were killed during the attempts to consolidate on the island.

He claims Russia shot down four Ukrainian warplanes, including three Su-24 and one Su-27, three Mi-8 helicopters with paratroopers on board, and one Mi-24 helicopter, as well as carrying out attacks on navy vessels.

"The bodies of 24 dead Ukrainian servicemen were left on the shore of Zmiinyi Island," Konashenkov wrote on Telegram.

The BBC has not been able to independently verify these claims.

Earlier in the war, Ukrainian border guards on the island were given posthumous honours by President Zelensky after they were heard in audio recordings telling a Russian warship to "go to hell".

The United Nations Human Rights Council will hold a special session on Ukraine this week after Kyiv called for a review of the situation there, spokesperson Rolando Gomez says.

It's after Yevheniia Filipenko, Ukraine's ambassador to the UN, wrote a letter urging it to consider “recent reports of war crimes and large-scale violations in the town of Bucha… and ongoing reports of mass casualties in the city of Mariupol”.

The UK, the US and Germany were among 55 countries who signed the document.

The meeting, which is expected to take place on Thursday, could include a resolution tasking the newly formed Commission of Inquiry into the war with providing a detailed report to the council later this year.

Russia's underestimation of Ukrainian resistance prevented Russian President Vladimir Putin from announcing significant military success in Ukraine at Russia's Victory Day parade yesterday, according to the UK's Ministry of Defence., external

It says Russia's invasion plan is "highly likely" to have been based on the mistaken assumption it would encounter limited resistance, and would be able to quickly encircle and bypass population centres.

This assumption led Russian forces to open their attack with "a light, precise approach intended to achieve a rapid victory with minimal cost", the UK's MoD says in an update.

Russia's miscalculation led to "unsustainable losses and a subsequent reduction in Russia's operational focus", it said.

Image source, Getty Images

Russia has said it has no plans to close its embassies around Europe in retaliation for measures the West has imposed on it over its actions in Ukraine, Russian media reported.

"This is not in our tradition," Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko told the state-owned news agency RIA.

"Therefore, we believe that the work of diplomatic representative offices is important."

Western nations have imposed a range of punitive measures - including sanctioning key Russian officials, freezing the assets of the Russian central bank, and banning Russian oil imports - to push Moscow to end its military offensive in Ukraine.

On Monday, Russia's ambassador to Poland was pelted with what appeared to be red paint by people protesting against the war. He was prevented from laying flowers at a Soviet cemetery in Warsaw to commemorate the 77th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two.

Russia responded by sending a strongly-worded protest note to Poland.

Ukrainian leaders have welcomed US President Joe Biden signing a bill that will streamline American military aid to Ukraine and other Eastern European allies.

As we reported yesterday, the Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act of 2022 will ease requirements for lending or leasing US weapons and other materials. It echoes a World War Two deal that saw the US fast-track $50bn in aid to allies fighting Nazi Germany.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted that he was grateful to Biden and the American people "for supporting Ukraine in the fight for our freedom and future", saying it was a historic step.

"I am convinced that we will win together again. And we will defend democracy in Ukraine. And in Europe. Like 77 years ago," he said.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov also tweeted his thanks, saying: "History repeats itself. In 1941 Churchill convinced the USA of the need for lend-lease to defeat Nazism. In 2022 [Zelensky] did the same to defeat 'Ruscism'."

Caroline Davies
Reporting from Odesa

You cannot escape the smell of smoke and burning buildings in the centre of Odesa.

Three explosions sounded out around the city just before 22:30 on Monday. By midnight, the streets had filled with acrid smoke.

The city’s authorities confirmed that throughout 9 May Odesa had been attacked with seven missiles using aircraft. They said that one person was reported dead and five others had been rushed to hospital.

BBC journalists witnessed multiple fire crews attempting to put out the blaze at two sites in the city, one also attended by an ambulance.

The Ukrainian economy is set to contract by almost a third this year in the wake of Russia's invasion, the European development bank says.

This is worse than the 20% reduction the bank forecast in March, shortly after the invasion, news agency AFP reports.

But the bank expects Ukraine's economy to rebound by 25% in 2023, up from its earlier prediction of 23%.

It forecasts that Russia's economy will shrink by 10% this year and post zero growth next year.

Image source, Reuters

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un sent a congratulatory message to President Vladimir Putin on Russia's Victory Day holiday, expressing his country's "firm solidarity" with Moscow, the North Korean news agency KCNA reports.

In his letter sent on 9 May, Kim "extended firm solidarity to the cause of the Russian people to root out the political and military threat and blackmail by the hostile forces".

The North Korean leader also "expressed belief that the strategic and traditional relations of friendship between the two countries would steadily develop".

North Korea has recently highlighted its close ties with Russia, and publicly backed Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine.

In February, it blamed the Ukraine conflict on the "hegemonic policy" of the United States and the West.

Joe Inwood
Reporting from Lviv

Image source, State Emergency Service of Ukraine/REUTERS

The missiles used may have been soviet era - but the damage they did was still immense.

In footage posted online by the Ukrainian military, firefighters could be seen treading through the rubble of what used to be a shopping centre and a warehouse.

Thick, black smoke filled the centre of the historic port. But because of the curfew the streets were empty when the missiles struck at 22:30.

The authorities say one person died and five more were taken to hospital.

The attacks happened late on Monday, the same day the president of the European Council had been in the city.

Charles Michel said he had seen silos full of grain, wheat and corn in Odesa that was ready for export - but blocked.

The threat to global food security was something highlighted by President Zelensky in his nightly address.

He said that without Ukraine's exports dozens of countries... were "already on the brink of food shortages" and that the situation could "become, frankly, frightening".

Arkady Perchenko has fled his home in Ukraine - at 92 years old.

It's not the first time he's been caught up in a brutal conflict. As a young Jewish boy, he became separated from his family while escaping from the Nazis during World War Two.

Aged 11, he fought alongside the Soviet Army as part of the local resistance against the German forces.

From safety in Israel, Arkady spoke to the BBC about his view of both wars.

Image source, Reuters

Ukraine's defence ministry says Russian forces are conducting "storming operations" at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where hundreds of Ukrainian defenders continue to hold out under Russian attacks.

Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, said the Russian forces began laying siege to the plant after a UN convoy left the Donetsk region.

The Russians were trying to blow up a bridge used for evacuations in order to trap the last few defenders inside, he said.

Mariupol lies between the Russian-administered Crimean peninsula, and parts of eastern Ukraine that are held by Russian separatists. Moscow wants to capture it in order to link the two areas and consolidate its gains in the east.

'How to survive without water'

The wife of a Ukrainian soldier fighting in the steel plant says he told her the situation is growing increasingly desperate, with water supplies dwindling and hundreds of wounded soldiers trapped.

In an interview with the BBC, Yuliia Feosiuk said that when she last spoke to her husband, he asked her to search for articles "on how to live longer without water as long as possible".

Feosiuk said her husband also reported that about 700 wounded soldiers were trapped in the plant and that the bodies of dead soldiers were being kept in refrigerators.

Image source, Getty Images

Welcome back to our live page coverage of the war in Ukraine. Here's the latest today:

On the ground:

• Intense fighting continues in the country's east. Serious battles are reported around Rubizhne and Bilohorivka - both in the Donbas region
• However, a senior US defence official says Russia has made slow progress in the east over the past few days despite capturing the eastern town of Popasna
• Ukraine remains in control of Kharkiv, the same official says
• The port city of Odesa is under curfew after being subjected to fresh Russian missile strikes late on Monday - with regional authorities saying two people were injured and five buildings destroyed

• In his nightly address, Ukraine's President Zelensky warned that Russia is "treading on the same rake" as Ukraine's previous invaders, adding that "no enemy was able to take root here"

Beyond Ukraine:

• President Biden has signed a law that aims to streamline American military aid to Ukraine and other East European allies. A similar programme was enacted in 1941 to combat Nazi Germany
• European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen met Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in Budapest - to try to win support for proposed EU sanctions on Russian fuel

• Western leaders have dismissed President Putin's latest attempts to justify the war - which were made during a speech marking the Soviet Union's defeat of Germany in World War Two on Monday
• The White House called Russia's claim Western aggression had caused the war "patently absurd"

Goodbye until we resume our updates on Tuesday morning Ukraine time.