Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies discussed tougher sanctions against Russia's banking sector, central bank, and energy industry.
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.
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.
"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.
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.
"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.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen meets with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at the U.S. Treasury Department in Washington, DC, on April 13, 2023. (Stefani Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine will need about $42 billion in economic assistance in 2024 to make up for the looming budget deficit, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said in his address to the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) forum in Marrakesh, Morocco, on Oct. 11. Shmyhal joined the event online.
The deficit will make up as much as 21% of Ukraine's GDP in the coming year, according to Shmyhal.
Support from international partners would be required to help "Ukraine's government fulfill its basic social obligations," Shmyhal said, including paying pensions and salaries and assisting those whose property has been destroyed by Russian attacks.
Tax revenue has largely been directed to the defense and the war effort.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who also spoke at the meeting, said "Ukraine’s economic team has also delivered sound policies and solid results in an unbelievably challenging situation."
"As an international community, we must continue to provide Ukraine the significant, predictable, and timely financial support it needs to keep the government running," she added.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Dominic Culverwell
