Kyiv rules out ceasefires or territorial concessions as Moscow strikes military targets in eastern and southern Ukraine.
- Ukraine rules out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Moscow, while Russia steps up its offensive in the east and south of the country.
- Kyiv extends the period of martial law and general mobilization in the country for an additional 90 days, until August 23.
- Russia’s gas producer Gazprom said it continued to supply gas to Europe via Ukraine.
- The President of the African Union announces his visit to Moscow and Kiev
- Polish leader visits Kyiv and offers support to Ukraine
- Russia’s chief negotiator in peace talks with Ukraine said that Moscow was ready to resume negotiations, but the ball was in Kyiv’s court.
Here are the updates on Monday, May 23rd:
Russia’s chief negotiator says Moscow is ready to resume negotiations
Russia’s chief negotiator in peace talks with Ukraine said on Sunday that Moscow was ready to resume negotiations, but that the decision remained with Kyiv.
“The freezing of talks was the initiative of all of Ukraine,” Vladimir Medinsky told Belarusian television, adding that “the ball is completely in their court.”
He spoke a day after Zelensky said that the war “will only end once and for all through diplomacy.”
The Polish leader is the first to address the wartime Kyiv parliament
The Polish president traveled to Kyiv to become the first foreign leader to speak in the Ukrainian parliament since the start of the Russian war on Ukraine.
Ukrainian lawmakers on Sunday stood to pay tribute to Polish President Andrzej Duda, who thanked them for the honor of speaking at a place where he said: “The heart of a free, independent and democratic Ukraine is beating,” according to comments relayed by the Polish state. – Runs the PAP News Agency.
“The free world has the face of Ukraine,” Duda told the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian legislature.
Read more here
British Johnson and Zelensky discussed the Russian blockade of Odessa
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Sunday discussed with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky the Russian blockade of the Ukrainian shipping port of Odessa, a Downing Street spokesperson said.
The spokesman added that Johnson was determined to redouble efforts to provide vital food and humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine and to ensure that the country was able to export to the rest of the world.
Verkhovna Rada bans Russian war symbols
The Verkhovna Rada has banned the “Z” and “V” symbols, which the Russian military uses to promote its war in the country, but agreed to President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call to allow their use for educational or historical purposes.
Jaroslav Zelezniak, an opposition member, announced the decision on the Telegram messaging app, saying that 313 deputies had voted for the 423-member parliament.
Zelensky had vetoed an earlier version of the bill and called for the two symbols to be allowed to be displayed in museums, libraries, scholarly works, re-enactments, textbooks and the like.
There are none of the two letters in the Russian alphabet. They have been used extensively, particularly on Russian military vehicles and equipment, to promote conflict objectives.
Ukraine refuses concessions while the Russians attack in the east and south
Ukraine rules out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Moscow as Russia intensified its offensive in the eastern and southern parts of the country, bombarding the Donbass and Mykolaiv regions with air strikes and artillery fire.
Kyiv’s stance has become increasingly tough in recent weeks as Russia has suffered military setbacks while Ukrainian officials have grown increasingly concerned that they may be pressured to sacrifice land for a peace deal.
“The war must end with the complete restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” Andrei Yermak, head of the Ukrainian presidential office, said in a tweet on Twitter.
Hello and welcome to Al Jazeera’s ongoing coverage of the war in Ukraine.
Read all updates from Saturday, May 22nd here.
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