Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
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.
Nowegian defense minister Bjørn Arild Gram (L) meets with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv on March 10, 2023. (Office of the President of Ukraine)
Norway will provide Ukraine with two firing units of the Norwegian Advanced Surface-to-air Missile System (NASAMS) to Ukraine over spring, according to a brief posted on the Norwegian governement website on March 10.
The delivery of the joint Norwegian-U.S.-designed system will double the two firing units provided by Washington over the autumn of last year.
The announcement came after a visit of Norwegian defense minister Bjørn Arild Gram to Kyiv on March 10, where he held talks with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov, and other top officials.
“Norway has been supporting Ukraine since the first day of the full-scale war," Zelensky wrote on Telegram of the meeting, "and has done a lot for our soldiers to become stronger on the battlefield. We appreciate it.”
Since Russia began conducting mass missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and energy infrastructre in October, Ukraine has begun receiving modern Western-built air defense systems to help protect its airspace.
On Nov. 16, U.S. defense minister Lloyd Austin reported that the NASAMS systems already provided to Kyiv have had a "100% success rate" in shooting down Russian missiles.
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