"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
Both men face charges related to terrorism and espionage. Daniil B. was detained in Lithuania, where he is in temporary custody, while Oleksandr V. remains at large in Russia.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
"We are ready for all options. But of course, we are separately waiting for a response on the ceasefire," a source close to President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Kyiv Independent.
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.
Belarusian border guard checks drivers and vehicles entering the border zone near the settlement of Divin in the Brest region on Feb. 15, 2023. (Photo by NATALIA KOLESNIKOVA/AFP via Getty Images)
As part of the latest military rotation, Russia has withdrawn almost all its troops from Belarus, the State Border Guard Service's spokesperson Andrii Demchenko said on July 14.
As the spokesperson explained, the Russian military has been using Belarusian territory primarily as a training ground.
"Fortunately, the number of Russian soldiers in Belarusian training areas has been steadily decreasing," he revealed at a press briefing.
"Until recently, we estimated their number to be up to 2,000 soldiers, but now another rotation has taken place and almost all Russian personnel has been withdrawn from the territory of Belarus."
Demchenko did not rule out the possibility that Russia may re-deploy troops in the country sometime in the future, however.
The spokesperson added there is no reliable information on the presence of the Wagner Group mercenaries behind Ukraine's northern border.
Wagner contractors were set to leave for Belarus following the short-lived insurrection by their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin against the Kremlin on June 23-24. Several media subsequently reported on a new military camp being built near the town of Asipovichy, 200 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, allegedly to station Prigozhin's mercenaries.
Minsk denied that the facility is meant to house Wagner mercenaries, saying it is intended for Belarusian territorial defense forces.
According to Demchenko, the situation at the Ukrainian-Belarusian border remains stable and the State Border Guard Service does not observe a significant strength for another enemy incursion from Belarusian territory.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kate Tsurkan
