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.
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.
The view of the apartments destroyed by the debris of a Russian missile shot down over Kyiv in the early hours of June 24. (State Emergency Service)
Three civilians were killed in a Russian attack on the capital on June 24 that caused a fire in a residential building, with eight more injured, according to local authorities.
Russia launched more than 20 missiles at Kyiv and the surrounding oblast in its eighth attack on the capital this month, according to Head of the Kyiv City Military Administration Serhiy Popko said.
Missile debris shot down by the city's air defenses hit a 24-story apartment building in Kyiv's western Solomyanskyi district, causing a fire to break out on the 16th, 17th, and 18th floors, the Kyiv City Military Administration reported on Telegram.
Fire breaks out in Solomyan district, Kyiv, following an air strike on June 24. (Source: Kyiv City Military Administration / Official Telegram channel)
UPDATED: As of 11 a.m. on June 24, three people are known to have been killed and eight injured. Three of the victims were hospitalized and the rest received medical assistance at the site.
Hours after the first missile attack that killed three people, air raid alerts went off in Kyiv for the second time on June 24.
Explosions were also reported in the cities of Dnipro and Kharkiv overnight on June 24.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
Kate Tsurkan
