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.
A Nova Poshta depot damaged after a Russian missile attack in the village of Korotych, Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 22, 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A 25-year-old man injured in Russia’s Oct. 21 missile strike on a Nova Poshta postal depot in Kharkiv Oblast died in the hospital on Oct. 30, the regional governor reported.
His passing brings the death toll of the attack to seven, Oleh Syniehubov said, adding that 12 more victims were undergoing medical treatment, including two in intensive care.
A Russian missile hit a postal depot of Ukraine's largest privately-owned postal service Nova Poshta in the village of Korotych in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 21, killing at least six postal employees at the time of the attack and injuring 17.
Two days after the attack, Nova Poshta's co-founders said the company would arrange additional bomb shelters in its depots.
The Korotych depot had a bomb shelter, but the victims didn't have time to get to it as only 15 seconds passed between the air raid alert and the strike, said Nova Poshta co-founder Viacheslav Klymov, citing the wounded workers.
Korotych lies just 16 kilometers west of Kharkiv, 33 kilometers from the Russian border, and some 135 kilometers from the front lines.
The northeastern Kharkiv Oblast remains a frequent target of Russian attacks due to its proximity to Russia and the front line.
Francis Farrell
