The measures target almost 200 ships of Russia's "shadow fleet," 30 companies involved in sanctions evasion, 75 sanctions on entities and individuals linked to the Russian military-industrial complex, and more.
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.
Ukrainian soldiers drive a tank amid Russia-Ukraine war on the frontline of Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine on March 29, 2023. (Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky delivered his first in-person address to German lawmakers in the Bundestag on June 11, expressing Ukraine's gratitude for Germany's support in resisting Russia's invasion.
His address comes as more than 2,000 representatives from 60 countries are in Berlin for the Ukraine Recovery Conference. Germany is the second-largest supporter of Ukraine after the U.S. and the biggest supporter in Europe.
In 2024 alone, Germany provided approximately 7.1 billion euro for military assistance to Ukraine. Over 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers have received military training in Germany.
Zelensky told German lawmakers that Russia must pay for the damage inflicted on his country. "Those who started the war have to be held responsible," he said. "They have to be brought to justice for every war crime committed," adding that the time for compromises is over.
"As soon as [Russian President Vladimir] Putin started to burn our cities … as soon as he started to pursue murder instead of agreements and contracts, the time for compromise ended," Zelensky noted, according to Deutsche Welle.
"Putin will lose this war," the Ukrainian president stressed. "We will not allow Russia to continue to march through Europe with its contempt for life. (...) We will not pass on this war to the next generation. We will end it. We will end it in the interest of Ukraine and the interest of Europe as a whole."
Zelensky also referenced Germany's history in his address, recalling the decades the country was divided by the Berlin Wall: "You can understand us in Ukraine, you can understand why we are fighting so hard against Russia's attempts to divide Ukraine, why we are doing everything we can to make sure there is not a new wall in our country."
"Russia is standing against all of us alone, so we all have to force Russia to change, and it is possible, because there is no wall that cannot be brought down."
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
