"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
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.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Trucks stuck during a blockade at the Dorohusk Polish-Ukrainian border crossing on Nov. 21, 2023 near Chelm, Poland. (Omar Marques/Getty Images)
Polish farmers will suspend protests at the Shehyni-Medyka border checkpoint starting Dec. 24, Michal Kolodziejczak, Polish deputy minister of agriculture, said on Dec. 23.
However, truckers will continue blockades at three other crossings and will allow fewer trucks to pass than earlier, Reuters reported.
Over 4,000 trucks remain waiting in line to enter Ukraine from Poland ahead of the holiday season, Border Guard Service spokesman Andrii Demchenko said on national television on Dec. 23.
"Work constantly continues to unblock the movement across the entire Polish border but as of this morning, four directions remain blocked," said Demchenko.
"The movement across the border continues from Ukrainian and Polish directions but it has dropped significantly compared to the period before Nov. 6 when the protests began on these four directions," he added.
Polish truckers have been blocking four crossings with Ukraine in protest of the EU's liberalization of transit rules for their Ukrainian counterparts. The blockade has left thousands of Ukrainian truckers stranded in long lines in freezing temperatures.
Ukrainian and Polish officials sought possible solutions to the protests during the visit by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to Kyiv on Dec. 22.
Polish Deputy Infrastructure Minister Pawel Gancarz, who accompanied Sikorski on the trip, previously said he was hopeful about solving the issue before Christmas.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Dinara Khalilova
