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.
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Wednesday, May 14
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.
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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.
The number includes 1,240 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
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."
"Contrary to Kremlin narratives, time is not on Russia’s side," reads a new report from the Stockholm Institute of Transition Economics (SITE).
Wednesday, May 14
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.
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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.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
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"Our people are going to be going there," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
Russia is prepared to extend the Black Sea Grain Initiative after deliberations with United Nations officials, but only for a period of 60 days, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin said on March 13.
The Black Sea Grain Initiative, which unblocked Ukraine's grain exports via the Black Sea, was concluded by Ukraine, Russia, Turkey, and the UN in July 2022. Before that the grain exports had been blocked due to Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that Russia's position violates its agreements with Ukraine, Turkey and the UN. He argued that the grain deal envisages at least a 120-day extension, not a 60-day one.
U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited Kyiv on March 8 to discuss the deal with President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The deal, which was first signed by Ukraine and Russia in July 2022, is set to expire on March 18. Both Ukraine and Russia must sign the agreement in order for it to be renewed, but Russia has been threatening to back out of the deal.
"The continuation of the agreement will depend not on words but deeds, namely the normalization of our agricultural exports," Vershinin claimed on March 13.
Agriculture Minister Mykola Solskyi told the Kyiv Independent on Feb. 27 that it was vital not only to extend the grain deal but to increase the number of daily exports and ensure the addition of other ports in the deal.
Explainer: What’s up with the ‘grain deal’ and Russia?
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