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.
A Russian flag with the emblem of Russia on hang on the monument of the Russian instructors in Bangui, on March 22, 2023 during a march in support of Russia and China's presence in the Central African Republic. (Photo by BARBARA DEBOUT/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.K. government announced on July 20 a new wave of sanctions against 13 individuals and businesses connected to the Wagner Group's activities in Mali, Central African Republic (CAR), and Sudan.
One of the persons the U.K. has targeted is Ivan Maslov, head of the Wagner Group in Mali, for his role in the massacre of more than 500 people in Moura in March 2022.
The US government sanctioned Maslov in May 2023, followed by sanctioning four companies linked to the group in June.
"Wherever Wagner operates, it has a catastrophic effect on communities, worsens existing conflicts and damages the reputations of countries that host them," said Andrew Mitchell, U.K. Minister of State for Development and Africa.
The U.K. also announced sanctions against two Wagner leaders who operate in Central African Republic, Vitalii Perfilev and Konstantin Pikalov, for deliberately targeting civilians. The U.K. believes that Pikalov is a close advisor of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner.
Prigozhin and several key commanders had already been sanctioned by the U.K. for their participation in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
"These measures will limit their financial freedom by preventing U.K. citizens, companies and banks from dealing with them, alongside freezing any assets held in the UK and travel bans," declared the report.
The U.K. intelligence reported on July 16 that the group's ambition to maintain an extensive presence in African countries has been accepted by Moscow.
On June 27, the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions against four companies and one Wagner-affiliated individual who have engaged in illicit gold mining and trading in Africa. These activities provide funding for the mercenary company.
The sanctioned list included Midas, a Central African Republic (CAR)-based mining company, Diamville, a gold and diamond purchasing company in CAR, Industrial Resources, a Dubai-based industrial goods distributor, and OOO DM, a Russian firm that also took part in the gold trading scheme.
The move followed an earlier wave of sanctions in January 2023, when the U.S. Treasury Department designated the group as a “significant transnational criminal organization” and targeted its support network worldwide.
Oleg Sukhov
