Brazilian President Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha had appealed to his Brazilian counterpart, Mauro Vieira, to ask Putin if he was willing to conclude a peace agreement.
The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
"Trump needs to believe that Putin actually lies," Zelensky told journalists in Kyiv. "And we should do our part. Sensibly approach this issue, to show that it’s not us that is slowing down the process."
The EU plans to significantly increase tariffs on Ukrainian goods after the current duty-free deal lapses on June 6, the Financial Times reported on May 14, citing undisclosed diplomatic sources.
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.
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.
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.
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."
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.
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.
Operatives from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on March 24, 2017. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Presidential Office)
There has been little progress in an almost three-month investigation into alleged pressure on a journalist by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in response to a perceived unfavorable story, Slidstvo.Info's chief editor Anastasiia Stanko told the Kyiv Independent in an article published on July 4.
There have been several high-profile cases of alleged government intimidation, pressure, and attempted censorship of journalists in recent months.
Despite public pressure and condemnation from as high up as President Volodymyr Zelensky, the investigations have yet to lead to any tangible results.
In the case in question, Yevhenii Shulhat, a Slidstvo.Info journalist, received a draft notice at the suggestion of an SBU employee, which was apparently in retaliation to a story that Shulhat was working on.
Shulhat's piece, which came out after the draft notice was served, alleged that the wife of the former head of the SBU's cybersecurity unit, Illia Vitiuk, had earned large sums of money after he got the job.
While Vitiuk was fired in the ensuing scandal, and the State Bureau of Investigation launched an inquiry, Stanko said that the case does not mention Vitiuk, either as a suspect or witness. Other key individuals involved in the case have not been questioned more than two months after the investigation began.
The bureau has not responded to the Kyiv Independent's request for comment.
Oksana Maksymeniuk, head of the legal department at Ukraine's Institute for the Development of the Regional Press and a lawyer working on the case, told the Kyiv Independent that the delaying of cases involving pressure or intimidation of journalists has been a consistent practice.
"The longer a case is in pre-trial investigation, the more likely there will be no effective methods of prosecution," said Maksymeniuk.
The end result can be that cases will exceed their statute of limitations, allowing alleged offenders to evade punishment, she said.
Maksymeniuk added that only six of the 19 cases involving obstructing the work of prominent Ukrainian media outlets her department has worked with since 2015 have gone to court.
Dinara Khalilova
