Ukraine bans Russian war symbols, Moscow says ready to resume talks

In an announcement on the messaging application Telegram on May 22, parliamentarian Yaroslav Zheleznyak said that 313 people out of 423 members of the National Assembly of Ukraine (Verkhovna Rada) voted to approve the decision.

Neither the letters Z nor V appear in the Russian alphabet. However, they were used quite widely by the Russians, especially as paints on military vehicles and weapons, to represent their goals. military offensive campaign in neighboring country. The Russian Defense Ministry explains, Z means Za pobedu (“for victory”) and V represents “the power of truth”.

According to Reuters, Kiev’s new law bans NGOs from using Russian war symbol or undermine Ukraine’s sovereignty.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vetoed the previous version of the bill and called for the use of the two symbols in museums, libraries, scientific works, textbooks and similar facilities.

On the same day, Ukraine’s parliament approved the extension of martial law nationwide by three months, until August 23, as Moscow forces continued to bombard the east and south of the country.

Moscow says ready to resume peace talks with Kiev

Vladimir Medinsky, chief negotiator Russia stated, Moscow is ready to resume peace talks but it all depends on Kiev.

In an interview with Belarusian television, Medinsky, who is also an aide to Russian President Vladimir Putin, said, “Moscow has never refused to negotiate.”

“For our part, we are ready to continue the dialogue. The freezing of the negotiations is entirely on the initiative of Ukraine. The ball is now completely in their half,” said Mr. Medinsky.

According to the Guardian, Russia and Ukraine have regularly held direct negotiations and through an online video link since the outbreak of hostilities at the end of February. The foreign ministers of the two countries met in Turkey last year. March, following an inconclusive meeting between representatives of the two sides in Istanbul.

However, Mykhaylo Podolyak, the head of Ukraine’s negotiating delegation, said on May 17 that dialogues with Moscow “are stalling”.

Lithuania stops importing Russian energy

Lithuania has completely stopped importing Russian energy, including oil, electricity and natural gas from May 22.

“This is not only a hugely important milestone for Lithuania in its journey towards energy independence but also a demonstration of our solidarity with the Ukraine“, said Lithuanian Energy Minister Dainius Kreivys.

Earlier, Russia’s RT station reported that Litgrid, the operator of Lithuania’s power transmission system, announced that Russia had stopped supplying electricity to the country. Inter RAO, the sole exporter of electricity from Russia to Lithuania, confirmed the information. In early May, Inter RAO’s Nordic branch also suspended electricity supply to Finland.

Last month, Lithuania became the first country in the European Union (EU) to announce it would give up gas and oil imports from the birch country in protest of Moscow’s war in the neighboring country.

Ukraine reaches “historic” customs control agreement with Poland

Ukrainian President Zelensky announced that he had reached an agreement to control the common border with Poland, and emphasized the “unbreakable” solidarity between the two countries.

“A solution has been reached, which will revolutionize the order at our borders. We will launch joint customs control with Poland. This will significantly speed up border procedures, sort of. removes most of the risk of corruption and is also the first step towards our integration into the EU’s common customs space. It is a truly historic process,” Zelensky said in a video message on the 22nd night. /5.

The statement of the head of Kiev came as Polish President Andrzej Duda visited Ukraine and became the first foreign leader to speak directly to the Ukrainian Parliament, affirming the solidarity between the two countries. as well as Warsaw’s support for Kiev in its conflict with Moscow.

CNN quoted President Zelensky as adding that he had signed a decree issuing a new award “to thank the cities of the partner countries that have helped Ukraine the most”. The Polish city of Rzeszow is considered the first municipality to meet this standard.

Zelensky also announced the drafting of a bill similar to the one passed in Poland on the admission of Ukrainian citizens who wish to seek asylum in the country and have been “given the same legal opportunities as Poles”. “.

Since the outbreak of hostilities on February 24, nearly 3.5 million Ukrainian refugees have arrived in Poland, making the Eastern European country the largest host of Ukrainian refugees to date, according to the report. Statistics of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

Tuan Anh

Russia fiercely attacked eastern and southern Ukraine, Kiev could lose 100 soldiers a dayThe Russian Defense Ministry announced that the Russian army had attacked Kiev forces in eastern and southern Ukraine with artillery and air strikes.