"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
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.
The government has approved "reform roadmaps in the rule of law, public administration, and democratic institutions, as well as Ukraine’s negotiation position," Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said.
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.
"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.
Air defense at work in Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast in the evening of Jan. 17. (Sumy Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
Russian forces shelled Sumy Oblast 76 times in 16 separate attacks throughout the day, firing at five communities along the border on Feb. 3, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
The Russian military fired on the communities of Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, and Esman. Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, artillery, drone, and grenade launcher attacks.
The town of Kransnopillia, with a pre-war population of about 7,700 residents, experienced the most intense attacks with 31 explosions recorded in the area. The community is located just 11 kilometers west of the Ukraine-Russia border.
Shelling is a daily occurrence for the communities near Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. Residents in the region's vulnerable border settlements experience multiple attacks per day.
Earlier in the day, a section of road near the Russian border in Sumy Oblast was closed to civilian traffic. The closure is in response to an attack on Jan. 27, staged by a Russian reconnaissance and sabotage group, that killed two civilians.
The regional authorities said that road sections that are located within five kilometers of the Russian border have been blocked to prevent further civilian casualties.
In the summer of 2023, regional authorities announced a voluntary evacuation from settlements in the five-kilometer border zone most affected by Russian attacks, although not all residents agreed to leave.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Martin Fornusek
