European and U.S. officials, including Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, reportedly convinced Zelensky that attending the peace talks would reflect positively on Kyiv, diplomats told the Washington Post.
"We discussed in detail the logic of further steps and shared our approaches... It is critical that Russia reciprocate Ukraine's constructive steps. So far, it has not. Moscow must understand that rejecting peace comes at a cost," Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"I am waiting to see who will come from Russia, and then I will decide which steps Ukraine should take. So far, the signals from them in the media are unconvincing," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
The air raid was announced at around 2:30 p.m. local time, while the explosion sounded around 2:50 p.m. The number of victims killed rose to three, Sumy Oblast Governor Oleh Hryhorov reported at 8:42 p.m.
If confirmed, the decision would mark the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion that President Volodymyr Zelensky is absent, either physically or virtually, from a NATO summit.
The disclosure follows a warning from Digital Affairs Minister Krzysztof Gawkowski, who on May 6 said Moscow was carrying out an "unprecedented" interference campaign.
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.
Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski speaks to the media on Jan. 30, 2024 in Berlin, Germany. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Warsaw is considering forming and training a unit of draft-aged Ukrainian men living in Poland, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Prague on May 31, the Wnp.pl media outlet reported.
Sikorski believes that this move will help Kyiv more than sending a Polish training mission to Ukraine.
Kyiv has been discussing with France and other states the possible presence of foreign instructors on the ground in Ukraine, Ukraine's Defense Ministry said on May 27. Paris may reportedly soon send its military trainers to the country, despite concerns of some Western allies.
“Poland considered Ukraine's request for training, but we came to the conclusion that it would be both safer and more effective to train a Ukrainian unit formed of Ukrainians in Poland who are subject to conscription into the Ukrainian army,” the minister said.
With some exceptions, Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine during the war while martial law is in effect.
Kyiv announced in late April that Ukraine was temporarily suspending new applications for consular support for military-age men abroad due to the new law on mobilization. Less than a month later, the Foreign Ministry said it would restore consular services.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Kateryna Hodunova
