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.
A Sukhoi Su-30SM in flight. September 2014. (Alex Beltyukov/Wikipedia)
A Russian Su-30 fighter jet producer bought back its own military equipment previously sold to foreign partners worth over $400 million in 2022 and 2023, the Russian independent outlet Moscow Times reported on May 7, citing customs data.
Such imports would signal a growing shift in Russia's defense industry from exports to domestic needs as the ongoing full-scale invasion of Ukraine puts pressure on its capacities.
Irkut, renamed Yakovlev Corporation in 2023, also produces Yak-130 trainer aircraft and civilian airliners. Its main military product, the Su-30 fighter, is actively used by Russian forces against Ukraine.
The Oryx monitoring service said that Russia lost 11 Su-30 aircraft during the full-scale war against Ukraine.
According to The Moscow Times, the company began buying back its own supplies from abroad already before the outbreak of the full-scale invasion in 2021.
The imports peaked in 2021 at $581 million, followed by $322.3 million in 2022 and $95.1 million in 2023, amounting to almost $1 trillion in three years, the outlet wrote.
Most of the repurchased components, such as radar equipment and programmable controllers, are reportedly needed for military aircraft production.
Military expert David Sharp told The Moscow Times that the Russian military-industrial complex is capable of producing aircraft like Su-30, Su-34, and Su-35 relatively slowly. The process takes time and extensive funds and can be held up by various bottlenecks of important components, he added.
Western countries have imposed sanctions against Russia aimed at cutting off supplies from its defense industry.
In addition to Irkut, NPO Mashinostroyeniya missile producer and NPP Automated Measuring Complexes have also been buying back their own equipment, with the transactions amounting to over $1 billion since 2021, The Moscow Times wrote.
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)'s research from March showed that Russian arms exports fell by 53% between the periods 2014-2018 and 2019-2023.
Russian export volumes were 52% lower in 2023 than in 2022, with the U.K. Defense Ministryconnecting the development to Russia prioritizing battlefield needs and a reduced customer demand due to sanctions risks.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
