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 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.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to Nicaragua in response to a visit by a Russian delegation from occupied Crimea, the ministry's spokesperson, Oleh Nikolenko, said on Feb. 2.
Russia has illegally occupied Crimea since 2014. Although the peninsula remains broadly recognized as Ukraine's sovereign territory, Nicaragua was one of the few countries to recognize it as Russian.
Representatives of Russian occupation authorities visited the Central American country on Jan. 23 to sign agreements on economic cooperation, as well as a twin cities agreement between Sevastopol and Granada.
In a note sent on Jan. 31, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stressed that Nicaragua's actions "violated the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," as well as the "norms of international law, in particular the UN Charter."
"The Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are an inseparable part of the territory of Ukraine," the ministry emphasized.
Previously, the Representative Office of the President of Ukraine in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea sent an official letter to Ukraine's Foreign Ministry demanding action after the information about the visit appeared in "Spanish-language information sources."
Nicaragua has maintained close ties with Russia. Not only has it recognized Crimea as Russian territory, but the Central American country also opened an honorary consulate on the occupied peninsula in 2020, a move denounced by Kyiv as illegal.
It is also one of the few countries to vote alongside Russia in UN resolutions condemning Moscow's aggression, joining the ranks of countries like Belarus, North Korea, and Syria.
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.
Anastasiia Lapatina
