Polish truckers plan to restrict freight traffic at the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint on the Ukrainian border, Ukraine's State Border Guard said on May 12.
"If the Russians are using this level of specialists in urban combat, they are probably facing some difficulties," Ivan Petrychak, spokesperson for the 24th Separate Mechanized Brigade, said.
Previously, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk accused the Russian intelligence services of orchestrating a May 2024 arson attack on the Marywilska shopping centre in Warsaw.
"Perhaps in some areas, the intensity decreased slightly to create an image of compliance with their own announcement. But in reality, (Russia) continued attacks every day, using all available weapons — including aircraft to drop guided bombs on Ukraine," Andrii Demchenko, spokesperson for Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service, said.
Beijing supports all efforts toward achieving peace in Ukraine, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said on May 12 when asked about Kyiv and Europe's proposal for a 30-day truce.
"I invited His Holiness to make an apostolic visit to Ukraine. Such a visit would bring real hope to all believers and to all our people," Zelensky said.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak voiced doubt about leading negotiations with anyone from Russia except President Vladimir Putin, implying only the Russian leader can make real decisions.
This includes at least seven people injured in drone attacks overnight on May 12, a date from which Kyiv and its allies put forward a demand for a 30-day unconditional truce, a step that Moscow continues to reject.
"When European unity becomes inconvenient, disinformation goes so far as to make a simple tissue look like drugs," the Elysee Palace reacted to a fake story pushed by Russia.
The comments came after Trump urged Ukraine to agree to direct negotiations with Russia, which has invited Kyiv to peace talks in Istanbul on May 15, without first agreeing to halt military operations.
A Russian drone hit a civilian freight train in Donetsk Oblast on May 12 and injured its driver, Ukrainian Railways said amid Kyiv's calls for a ceasefire.
The flag of the European Union flies in the wind in front of the European Parliament building in Strasbourg, France on May 29, 2024. (Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article was expanded with additional reporting.
The EU plans to unveil on May 14 its next package of sanctions imposed against Russia over its aggression against Ukraine, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent on condition of anonymity.
The European bloc has previously announced 16 separate sanctions packages since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in 2022. The measures have targeted individuals, companies, and state institutions involved in supporting Russia's war machine in Ukraine.
Details of the 17th package remain unclear, though earlier reporting suggested it could include measures aimed at Russia’s military-industrial complex, Moscow’s shadow shipping fleet, and related support networks.
Russia has been using the shadow fleet to avoid Western sanctions and ship out its oil above the G7-imposed price cap. European countries have also linked the fleet to espionage and sabotage operations.
Talks on the 17th package began shortly after the EU adopted the 16th package on Feb. 24. The last package also targeted Russia's shadow fleet of tankers, financial institutions, entities involved in the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
"What we do on our side is to continue our pressure on Russia, be it with sanctions, be it with our support, be it on military humanitarian throughout all the strengths," European Commission Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Anita Hipper said.
Paula Pinho, the chief commission spokesperson, commented that "whenever and when the proposal in the initiative starts with the Commission in terms of sanctions, obviously there are discussions with all the member states to make sure that this can really go through."
"And so such talks take place constantly in terms of... making sure that there is wide support for whenever new sanctions are being proposed," she added.
The U.K. hit the shadow fleet with its largest sanctions package yet on May 9, targeting 101 vessels.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and the leaders of the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Poland also agreed to impose additional sanctions against Russia if the Kremlin does not accept their proposal for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.
The Kyiv Independent
