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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.
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Monday, May 12
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.
"The clock is ticking — we still have twelve hours until the end of this day," German government spokesperson Stefan Kornelius reportedly said.
"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.
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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.
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"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"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.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
The number includes 1,170 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic has denied recent media reports about his country allegedly providing Ukraine with lethal weaponry, according to Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik.
"Another lie has been published that Serbia is selling weapons to Ukraine. The goal is obvious to someone — to destabilize our country and involve it in a conflict in which we do not want to participate," Vucevic told Sputnik.
Reuters reported on April 12, citing one of the allegedly leaked secret Pentagon documents, that Serbia had agreed to provide Ukraine with lethal aid or had already sent it. According to the classified U.S. document, Serbia also has the political will and military capability to send Ukraine weapons in the future.
The Serbian government claims its neutrality in Russia's war against Ukraine and remains the only European country that has refused to impose sanctions on Moscow over its invasion. Serbia and Russia have a long history of close ties, but this is not the first time tensions have risen between both countries due to the war in Ukraine.
In March, Belgrad denied that it supplied Ukraine with 3,500 missiles after the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its "deepest concerns" over media reports.
Vucevic refuted reports that Serbia sent missiles to Ukraine while also admitting the possibility that a third party could have been involved in their transportation.
"If private companies buy weapons in third states' markets and then sell them to other companies in other countries, that is not a question for Serbia, that is international trade," he said, as cited by AP.
On Jan. 17, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic asked Russia to stop recruiting mercenaries in Serbia for the war in Ukraine.
CNN: Ukraine alters military plans after Pentagon document leak
Ukraine has changed some of its military plans following a leak of dozens of Pentagon documents, a source close to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told CNN.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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