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.
President of Portugal Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrives in Kyiv on Aug. 23, 2023 (Photo: Ukrainska Pravda / Telegram).
The Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda and the Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa arrived in Kyiv on the morning of Aug. 23, Ukraine's National Flag Day.
The visits were not announced beforehand for security reasons, and are taking place ahead of Ukraine's Independence Day on Aug. 24.
It is Rebelo de Sousa's first official visit to Ukraine. Immediately after arriving in Kyiv, the president visited Bucha and its memorial at the site of the Russian massacre of Ukrainian civilians.
Nausėda said that he was in Kyiv "to celebrate Ukraine's Independence Day together with the brotherly Ukrainian nation," and that Lithuania will support Ukraine for "as long as it takes."
President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda arrives in Kyiv on Aug. 23, 2023 (Photo: @GitanasNauseda / Twitter)
Lithuania is a close ally of Ukraine. On Aug. 17, the country, together with its Baltic neighbors, Latvia and Estonia, announced it would join the Group of Seven (G7) declaration on security guarantees for Ukraine.
Portugal joined the declaration in July, which aims to bolster Ukraine's ability to resist Russian aggression. The guarantees also address sanctions, financial aid, and post-war reconstruction.
Portugal is also one of 11 members of an international coalition to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets, which was announced by Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July.
Martin Fornusek
