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.
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.
Ukrainian soldiers on duty outside of Toretsk in Donetsk Oblast on Sept. 23, 2023. (Photo by Wolfgang Schwan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The coming winter will not necessarily stop the advance of Ukrainian counteroffensive troops, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Sept. 23 report.
"[W]hile seasonal weather can slow ground movements and challenge logistics, it will not impose a definite end to Ukrainian counteroffensive operations," the ISW wrote.
In a Sept. 23 interview with CNN, General Oleksandr Tarnavskyi said that winter would not heavily disrupt the counteroffensive, as Ukrainian forces are advancing on foot rather than relying on vehicles.
Tarnavskyi commands Ukraine's front-line troops in Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk oblasts.
According to the ISW, weather will not be the decisive factor in the counteroffensive's success.
"The culmination of the Ukrainian counteroffensive will likely depend rather on the Russian and Ukrainian balance of forces as well as on Western aid to Ukraine," the ISW said.
The ISW also reported that Ukrainian troops continued to advance in western Zaporizhzhia Oblast, striking the front-line village of Novoprokopivka.
The ISW based its assessment on geolocated footage and reports from Russian sources claiming that the Russian military had resisted a Ukrainian ground attack near the village.
The reports suggest that "Ukrainian forces have likely cleared Russian positions between Robotyne and Novoprokopivka," the ISW said.
Novoprokopivka lies 1.5 kilometers south of Robotyne, which was liberated by Ukrainian troops on Aug. 28.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
