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.
Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (L) meets Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on May 19, 2023. Illustrative purposes only. (Bandar Aljaloud/ Royal Court of Saudi Arabia/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Oct. 23 and invited a representative of Saudi Arabia to the upcoming peace formula talks in Malta, Zelensky announced on social media.
The president said he also thanked the crown prince for "his personal efforts to make the Peace Formula meeting in Jeddah a success." Saudi Arabia hosted a previous peace plan meeting in August, gathering representatives from some 40 countries with the exclusion of Russia.
The next peace formula meeting is scheduled to take place on the island country of Malta between Oct. 28-29, according to the Maltese Foreign Ministry. It will be the third international gathering in preparation for the planned Global Peace Summit later this year.
The two leaders discussed the future development of Ukraine's relations with Riyadh and other Gulf Countries, as well as the escalating conflict in the Middle East, likely in reference to the ongoing Israel-Hamas War.
The president's relationship with Saudi Arabia dates back further than the Jeddah peace formula summit. In May 2023, Zelensky traveled to Saudi Arabia for the first time, meeting the crown prince and appealing to Arab leaders to support Ukraine's peace plan.
Saudi Arabia also played an important role in negotiating prisoner exchanges with Russia, allowing Ukraine to achieve a major exchange involving nearly 300 people – including the Azovstal defenders– in September 2022.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
