"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.
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.
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 Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
Moscow and Hanoi agreed to negotiate and sign agreements to construct nuclear power plants in Vietnam, the two countries said in a joint statement on May 11.
The sanctions appear to be in response to Russia's rejection of a 30-day ceasefire that the U.K., alongside Ukraine, France, Germany, and Poland, demanded during a visit to Kyiv on May 10.
"We now know for sure that the great fire of the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw was caused by arson ordered by the Russian special services," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on X. "Some of the perpetrators have already been detained, all the others are identified and searched for."
European Commission Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Peter Stano speaks during a conference in Brussels, Belgium on March 05, 2020. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The European Union commented on Russia's missile strike against Kyiv Oblast amid an African delegation's visit to the Ukrainian capital on June 16.
"I think this makes them (African leaders) realize very clearly who is the aggressor and how the aggressor behaves, what are its intentions," European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano said at a press conference.
A delegation of African countries led by South African President Cyril Ramaphosa arrived in Ukraine in the morning. The group is set to meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky under the African Peace Mission. Their next stop is Russia's St. Petersburg, where the leaders will meet with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
Except for Ramaphosa, the delegation includes leaders of Senegal, Egypt, the Republic of the Congo, Uganda, the Comoros, and Zambia. Several hours after their arrival, Russia launched 12 missiles at Kyiv Oblast, all of which were shot down by Ukraine's air defenses.
According to Stano, the EU welcomes any serious and meaningful efforts to achieve peace as "no one wants peace more than the Ukrainian and the Europeans."
However, for the peace facilitation efforts to be successful, one needs to talk to the aggression's victim, "to listen, to see firsthand the positions, and the perspectives and the experiences of the victim," the official said. He endorsed the delegation's visit to Kyiv but pointed out that the African Peace Mission took place over a year after Russia's full-scale invasion.
"There could be peace immediately — when Putin stops terrorizing Ukrainian people and withdraws his murdering, torturing, and looting troops from Ukraine's territory," concluded Stano.
Reuters reported on June 15 that the African delegation would propose Ukraine and Russia "confidence-building measures," which might include withdrawing Russian forces from Ukraine, removing tactical nuclear weapons from Belarusian territory, and suspending the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Putin.
According to the Associated Press, the delegation also plans to discuss the export of Ukrainian grain and Russian fertilizers.
Although most African countries declared neutrality in the war, Moscow has long maintained good relations with the governments of the African continent.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Dinara Khalilova
