Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
Antony Blinken, US Secretary of State in Washington, DC, United States of America on July 9th. (Photo by Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine is on its way to being able to "stand on its own feet militarily" as Western countries continue expand support for Kyiv, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on July 19.
The Republican nominee in the U.S. presidential election, Donald Trump, has repeatedly pledged to end the war within 24 hours, which could, according to some reports, include forcing Ukraine to cede territory. Trump has also criticized aid for Ukraine in the past, and his sway over the Republican Party contributed to delays in U.S. assistance earlier this year.
Secretary Blinken stated that U.S. aid to Ukraine holds strong bipartisan support in Congress and "any administration will take account of that."
He also emphasized that increased Western backing is putting Ukraine on the trajectory of being able to "stand on its own feet militarily, economically, democratically." For example, the U.S. official highlighted the fact that over 20 countries announced bilateral security agreements with Ukraine during the last NATO summit.
"And that means that all of these countries, including the United States, have committed to help Ukraine for the next decade build up its deterrent capacity, build up its defenses," Blinken said. "Now, if we were to renege on that, I suppose that’s possible. But happily, we have another 20-some odd countries – and we’re heading to more than 30 – that will be doing the same thing. These are long-term commitments to Ukraine."
Earlier this week, President Zelensky and Donald Trump held a phone call to discuss the future of U.S. aid. Zelensky previosly said that dealing with a Trump presidency would be "hard work, but we (Ukrainians) are hard workers."
According to official reports, the two leaders agreed on plans for a future "personal meeting" to discuss creating peace with Moscow during the phone call.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
Oleg Sukhov
