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.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo after signing a bilateral security agreement on May 28, 2024. (Prime Minister Alexander De Croo/X)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo signed a 10-year bilateral security agreement in Brussels on May 28, the Presidential Office announced.
Zelensky arrived in Belgium one day after his trip to Spain, where he signed the security agreement with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Under the agreement, Belgium will allocate at least 977 million euros (around $1 billion) in military aid for Ukraine in 2024.
The document also says that Belgium will supply Kyiv with 30 F-16 fighter jets by 2028, with the first planes expected to arrive already this year.
The country announced in 2023 it would supply Kyiv with its F-16 jets but the exact number was unclear until today.Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway also pledged to donate their F-16s to bolster Ukraine's Air Force.
Apart from the fighter jets, the agreement focuses on Ukraine's other key needs, including air defenses, artillery, and armored vehicles, De Croo said during a press conference after the signing ceremony.
The two parties agreed to cooperate in the defense industry, intelligence, cyber security, and countering disinformation.
The Western European country further pledged support for Ukraine's peace formula, EU and NATO aspirations, sanctions against Russia, compensation for war damages, bringing the aggressor to justice, and using seized Russian assets for Ukraine's needs.
"Today Belgium signs an agreement on security cooperation and long-term support with Ukraine," De Croo said on X.
"President... (Volodymyr Zelensky,) you need the right tools to protect your citizens. We are very determined when it comes to our support."
"I thank Prime Minister De Croo, his government, and all Belgians for their unwavering and long-lasting support for Ukraine," Zelensky said.
The Belgian Foreign Ministry said last week that its Ukraine fund had allocated 1.7 billion euros ($1.9 billion) for military and humanitarian assistance for Kyiv in 2024.
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
