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.
EU flags in front of the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 28, 2023. (Dursun Aydemir/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The European Commission presented the first-ever European Defense Industrial Strategy (EDIS) at the EU level to support the competitiveness and readiness of the bloc’s defense industry, the commission’s press service announced on March 5.
The news comes amid worries in Europe that the U.S. may not be a reliable partner for European security and in backing Ukraine if Donald Trump wins the upcoming presidential election.
The performance of the European defense industry, especially when it comes to supporting Ukraine, has been lackluster, as the EU failed on its promise to deliver 1 million artillery shells between March 2023 and 2024. After supplying only about half of the promised rounds, Brussels shifted the deadline to the end of this year.
The EDIS outlines the challenges currently faced by the European Defense Technological and Industrial Base (EDTIB) as well as opportunities to fully exploit its potential and determines a direction for the next decade, according to a press release published by the bloc’s executive body.
"To increase European defense industrial readiness, Member States need to invest more, better, together, and European," says the release.
As the first urgent and primary tool for implementing the strategy, the commission is reportedly tabling a legislative proposal on the European Defense Industry Program (EDIP) and a set of measures to ensure the timely availability and supply of defense products.
EDIP will mobilize 1.5 billion euros ($1.6 billion) from the EU budget in 2025-2027 to improve the competitiveness of the European defense industry. The program is expected to shift the short-term emergency measures introduced in 2023 and ending in 2025 to a more structured and long-term approach.
As part of the strategy, the commission proposes developing closer ties with Ukraine through its participation in the bloc’s initiatives to support the defense industry and stimulating cooperation between the EU and Ukrainian defense sectors.
EU member states are also offered to purchase at least 40% of defense equipment jointly by 2030, ensure that by 2030, the value of intra-European defense trade is at least 35% of the value of the EU defense market, and "make steady progress" toward procuring at least half of its defense budget within the EU by 2030 and 60% by 2035.
Euractiv previously reported on the European Commission’s plans to present a defense industry support scheme envisaging Ukraine as a full-fledged member.
The European Parliament adopted a resolution on Feb. 29 calling on EU member states to support Ukraine with "whatever is needed for Kyiv to win its war against Russia," including long-range weapons.
Francis Farrell
