The blockade ended at 10:30 p.m. local time. Truck traffic in both directions is now moving as usual, according to Ukraine's State Border Guard's statement.
News Feed
Wednesday, May 14
Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
(Updated: )
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
The number includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
"Contrary to Kremlin narratives, time is not on Russia’s side," reads a new report from the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE).
Wednesday, May 14
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
(Updated: )
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
(Updated: )
"Our people are going to be going there," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
This post is part of Live Updates. Read our coverage here
News FeedDutch PM: Netherlands actively working on bilateral security guarantees for Ukraine
• 2 min read
The Netherlands is actively working with Kyiv on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told a Kyiv Independent reporter on Feb. 17.
“We are discussing intensely now with (President) Volodymyr Zelensky’s team on coming up with security guarantees... And I’m cautiously optimistic that we can close these discussions pretty soon,” Rutte said in press comments at the Munich Security Conference.
Earlier this week, President Zelensky signed a bilateral agreement on security cooperation with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron. Zelensky signed a similar deal with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin earlier on Feb. 16 and with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in Kyiv in January.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre told the Norwegian News Agency on Feb. 16 that he expects to sign a bilateral agreement with Ukraine on security guarantees in the coming weeks.
The Group of Seven (G7) countries and several other partners have pledged to provide security guarantees to Ukraine via bilateral treaties. The security guarantees would entail explicit and long-lasting obligations, as well as bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. The guarantees would also cover sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.
Zelensky met with Rutte on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, discussing the security guarantees agreement, the Netherlands' further defense aid to Ukraine, and Kyiv's EuroAtlantic integration, among other issues, the Presidential Office reported.
The Ukrainian president thanked the Dutch leader for his country's support and briefed him on the situation on Ukraine's battlefield.
Zelensky and Rutte discussed Ukraine's needs in air defense and artillery capabilities, the Netherlands' role in providing Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets and training Ukrainian pilots, as well as Kyiv's efforts in gathering support for Zelensky's peace formula.
Zelensky in Munich: ‘If Ukraine left alone, Russia will destroy us’
“Keeping Ukraine in the artificial deficits of weapons, particularly in a deficit of artillery and long-range capabilities, allows (Russian President Vladimir) Putin to adapt to the current intensity of the war,” President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
Nate Ostiller
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