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.
The Russian Foreign Ministry building in Moscow. (Suphanat Wongsanuphat/Getty Images)
Russia will not participate in Ukraine's planned second peace summit, the state-owned news agency RIA Novosti reported, citing Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin.
Kyiv said it aims to invite a Russian representative to the second conference to present a peace plan based on President Volodymyr Zelensky's peace formula and international input. No official invitation has been sent so far.
The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed Ukraine's peace efforts and its 10-point formula as irrelevant, calling it an "ultimatum."
After meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban reportedly said that the only proposal that the Kremlin's chief is willing to discuss is based on the unsuccessful peace talks in early 2022.
The talks hosted in Belarus and Turkey in the first months of the full-scale war were the only occasion during which both parties led direct peace negotiations.
While the talks eventually broke down, a leaked peace draft would bar Ukraine from entering NATO while permitting EU membership, limited the size of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, and postponed the matter of occupied Ukrainian territories to a later date.
Speaking a day ahead of the Switzerland summit, Putin said that as a condition for peace negotiations, Ukraine must fully withdraw from four partially occupied oblasts that Moscow illegally annexed in 2022. Kyiv rejected this demand.
In turn, the Kremlin has rejected Ukraine's key condition in the peace formula on the full withdrawal of Russian forces.
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.
Nate Ostiller
