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.
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.
Illustrative purposes only: 155 mm artillery shells that are ready to be shipped are stored at the Scranton Army Ammunition Plant in Scranton, Pennsylvania, on April 12, 2023. (Hannah Beier/Getty Images)
Ammunition paid for by a Slovak fundraising campaign has been delivered to Ukraine and is in the hands of the Ukrainian military, the Novinky outlet reported on Oct. 7, citing the initiative's founder.
The "Ammunition for Ukraine" campaign has raised almost 4.5 million euros ($4.9 million) for the Czech artillery initiative after the Slovak government refused to participate. Around 4 million euros have been spent, while the remaining 500,000 euros will be used soon by the end of the year.
Bratislava's government took a sharp foreign policy turn under populist Prime Minister Robert Fico, who has broadly criticized military aid for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia.
"What we can say is that it's about 135 pallets, or 122 metric tons of ammunition, that has been delivered on six trucks," the initiative's founder, Fedor Blascak, told Novinky.
"This is a clear signal from Slovaks. Some 70,000 Slovaks took part in the campaign and continue to regularly contribute to the ammunition so that Ukraine can defend itself against the aggressor," said Marian Kulich from the partner group Peace for Ukraine.
Fico previously dismissed the initiative as "symbolic" and said it would not impact the situation on the front line.
While the Slovak government refused to participate, several countries, including Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Canada, Poland, France, Denmark, and Slovenia, have contributed funds to the Czech initiative.
Kyiv said it had already received one-third of the 500,000 155 mm artillery shells pledged this year.
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.
Martin Fornusek
