The statement did not name the ex-official by name, but details of the case indicate it relates to Oleh Hladkovsky, a former deputy secretary of Ukraine's top security body who has been wanted since mid-April.
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.
Flag of NATO is seen in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland on October 23, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
NATO is considering to establish a permanent envoy position in Kyiv as part of its long-term commitment to Ukraine amid the ongoing war with Russia, Western officials and U.S. congressional aides familiar with the matter told Foreign Policy.
The plan, expected to be announced at the NATO summit in Washington in July if approved, involves creating a "senior civilian representative" post in Ukraine. This role would be similar to the one NATO had in Afghanistan during its nearly two-decade presence there. The new envoy would coordinate NATO's support for Ukraine, including the delivery of military aid from various Western nations.
This high-profile position would also convey a strong political message to both Ukraine and Russia regarding NATO's commitment to supporting Kyiv as Ukraine seeks permanent NATO membership to strengthen its defense against Russian military aggression.
The proposed move is set against ongoing debates among NATO member countries about whether to deploy their own troops to Ukrainian territory. While this decision could speed up the training and equipping of Ukrainian military, it also risks escalating the situation into a broader confrontation between the West and Russia, potentially even leading to nuclear escalation.
Last week, Russian leader Vladimir Putin warned the West of "serious consequences" after the United States and some major European powers authorized Ukraine to strike military targets inside Russia with Western-supplied weapons.
Putin said on June 5 that Moscow could supply advanced weapons to certain regions to enable strikes against "sensitive" Western targets as a response if Ukraine strikes Russia with Western arms.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Anna Husarska
