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.
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.
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historical Democratic district of the South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Donald Trump again claimed Russia would not have launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine if he had won a second term in office.
Speaking during his first rally in New York in eight years on May 23, the former president also said he would have prevented Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel and the ensuing war in Gaza that followed.
Trump is the presumptive Republican nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election, going up against incumbent President Joe Biden. He spoke in Crotona Park in the Bronx in New York City, which Biden won in 2020 with 68% of the vote.
In a carnival-like atmosphere and in front of a crowd with a significant showing of pro-Israel supporters, Trump focused heavily on his time as a businessman in New York City and the economy, barely mentioning foreign policy.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held his first rally in New York in eight years on May 23.
The U.S. will hold a presidential election in November, pinning Trump against incumbent President Joe Biden. pic.twitter.com/NkC2AeZVOQ
— The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) May 24, 2024
When he did briefly, he took aim at Biden’s term in office, describing the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan as "the most embarrassing day in the history of our country."
"It's probably a reason, a piece of it, why Russia went into Ukraine. They said 'these people are incompetent, we’ll go in,'" he said.
"So Russia going into Ukraine would never have happened, none of this stuff you see would have happened.
"Israel would have never happened, the attack on October 7th."
Trump supporters at the rally on May 23 (Owen Racer)
A very pro-Trump winnebago (Owen Racer)
A man sells pro-Trump t-thirts nearby (Owen Racer/ The Kyiv Independent)
Pro-Trump merchandise on sale alongside pro-Israel flags (Owen Racer/ The Kyiv Independent)
The crowd listening to Trump speak (Owen Racer/ The Kyiv Independent)
According to the Washington Post, Trump also said he believes that both Moscow and Kyiv "want to save face, they want a way out," claiming that Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories would not object to being part of Russia.
"If the deal and the idea is simply to give our territories, then it is very primitive," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in response.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Igor Kossov
