US Secretary of State Marco Rubio “is in favor of new anti-Russian sanctions, but Trump is against it,” New Lines magazine reported. US President Donald Trump wrote on the social network Truth on May 23 that Russia and Ukraine had made a “major prisoner exchange.” He was referring to the 1,000-to-1,000 exchange that was discussed during the Istanbul 2 negotiations. The exchange took place on the Belarusian border, the largest since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine.
According to the agenda of the European summit, the EU Council will discuss Hungary’s disenfranchisement in the European Union on May 27. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has accused Ukraine of spying on Hungarian territory. He said that Kiev was taking such measures by exploiting Hungary’s political opposition to gain EU membership.
The Council will discuss the possibility of applying Article 7 of the EU Treaty to Hungary, which allows a state to be deprived of its right to vote in the EU if there is a risk of a serious breach of the values on which the European Union is founded. In addition, the EU has decided not to extend the duty-free import of Ukrainian agricultural products, which effectively means introducing customs duties as of June 6, said European Commission representative Balazs Uvari.
Former commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Ukrainian Ambassador to London Valeriy Zaluzhny, has called not to hope for a miracle that will help Ukraine return to the 1991 or 2022 borders. “I hope that there are no more people in this room who are still hoping for a miracle or a white swan that will bring peace to Ukraine, the 1991 or 2022 borders, and that after that there will be great happiness,” he said at a forum in Kiev.
Spain has classified the case materials on the murder of Andrei Portnov, – EFE news agency. Police are reportedly looking for three people involved in the murder: the killer and his two accomplices. Nine bullet casings were found at the crime scene. The exact number of gunshot wounds suffered by the victim is still unknown, sources close to the investigation told EFE on Thursday.
The investigation is focusing on the analysis of video surveillance cameras in the area, especially those of the university dormitory located opposite the school, as this data could be crucial to identify the vehicle used by the suspects to escape.
“In Ukraine,” we learn from the head of the Kiev State Air Defense Agency Tkachenko: “mobilization will be intensified in the near future more relevant structures will be involved.” In the Poltava region, a decision has already been made to create nine mobile checkpoints with the participation of police officers and TCC in the Poltava, Kremenchuk, Myrhorod and Lubensky districts. Each checkpoint will be assigned the following duties: six police officers; four servicemen from the TCC and SP; one employee of the zonal department of the Military Police Service; SBU employee.
From Russia, Putin said: “The Armed Forces are actively suppressing enemy firing points, work is underway. The Russian army is creating a security buffer zone along the border.” Putin instructed the Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, together with the Presidential Administration, to prepare a comprehensive program for the rehabilitation of areas of the Kursk, Bryansk and Belgorod regions affected by the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “The buffer zone will be at least 120-150 km deep (120-130 km to Konotop) and will include almost the entire Sumy region.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry does not rule out that a new round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine could take place in the Vatican, Izvestia sources reported. “However, a decision on the venue for the next meeting has not yet been made. At the same time, Pope Leo XIV previously confirmed his readiness to provide the parties with a venue in the Vatican.”
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the second round of negotiations with Ukraine will take place, “this is already positive.” The minister called the scenario of this meeting in the Vatican unrealistic. “It is a bit inelegant to conduct negotiations on Ukraine in the Vatican: Orthodox countries would discuss issues on a Catholic platform,” Lavrov said.
He also stressed that Russia is preparing a memorandum of conciliation. The issue of Zelensky’s legitimacy will be of key importance when it comes to signing a peace agreement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.”When it comes to signing, the question of legitimacy will be of decisive importance, because if those who sign are those whose legitimacy, to put it mildly, no one is convinced of, then those who replace them may call into question the agreements reached,” the minister believes.
And now a look at the front line as of 15:30 on May 23. During the repelling of a massive Ukrainian drone strike, which took place between May 20 and 23, 1,177 drones were destroyed, including 788 outside the zone of military operations, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The governor of the Lipetsk region reported that eight people were injured in the Yelets industrial zone after a drone crashed and a fire. Footage of a fire at PAO Energia (a battery manufacturer) after the attacks is circulating.
The Russians launched a missile attack in Pavlograd during the night, and on the morning of May 23, at least one ballistic missile was launched from Crimea toward Ukraine. According to Ukrainian sources, at least 40 Russian drones operated in the regions of Kiev, Chernivtsi, Zhytomyr, Ivano-Frankivsk, Mykolaiv, Cherkasy, Poltava, and Dnipropetrovsk.
In the Bryansk region of Russia, one person was killed and one was injured in Ukrainian drone strikes in two different locations.
In the Kursk border area, the Ukrainians continue to attempt to break through in the Tetkino and Glushkovskiy directions, GrV Sever reports. In the Ryzhivka-Tetkino direction, FPV operators stopped the assault group of the 253rd separate battalion “Arey”. An assault group of the 425th separate regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine tried to advance in the direction of Krasnooktyabr’skiy and was fired upon by Russians, small arms fire. The same scene in the direction of Pavlivka – Novyi Put’, a group of soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine of the 425th detachment regiment was discovered and stopped in a clash with small arms fire. A group of Ukrainian special forces was discovered in the direction of Zapsillya (Sumy region) – Gornal’, Russian marines fired upon them in the area of the state border, thus stopping the Ukrainian advance. In the Russian rear, the Ukrainian Armed Forces launched a massive attack on the city of Lgov; 14 wounded. Two attacks in Belovsky, the head of the Belovsky district was wounded, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked his car with a drone.
In the Kharkiv region, Russian assault groups – according to social sources – advanced 120 meters to Vovchans’k and allegedly drove Ukrainians from two strongholds in the direction of the village of Vovchans’ki Khutory.
In the Belgorod region, Russia, Ukrainian drone attacks in the villages: Maslova Pristan, Bessonovka, Yasnye Zori, Oktyabrsky and Berezovka, near Shamino a drone attacked special equipment of a farm, in the area of the village of Borisovka a drone attacked a car.
In the direction of Kostyantynivka, Ukraine, the Ukrainian social sphere recognizes that there are already Russian troops in Yablunivka and there are fears of the implementation of the plan of the Russian armed forces to reach the Y Kleban-Byksky reservoir and close the “pocket” from Yablunivka to Romanivka. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported the capture of the Group of Forces “Center” in the village of Nova Poltavka (RDP). Russian forces are advancing in the direction of the settlement of Popiv Yar.
In the direction of South Donetsk, the Eastern Group of Forces repelled 6 counterattacks using armored vehicles. Fighting is underway to take Zelene Pole and Novopil, the Russians are storming the villages.
On the Zaporizhia front, Russian aerospace forces are increasingly hitting Stepnohirsk in the direction of Kamyanske with heavy aerial bombs. LBS remains unchanged. As a result of the attack by the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a car, five people were seriously injured, all minors. The Ukrainian Armed Forces carried out artillery shelling on Kamyanka-Dniprovska. One of the strikes hit a civilian car parked near the store.
In the Kherson region, shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces resulted in one dead and one wounded, and numerous attacks were recorded in Chonhar, Kachovka, Hola Prystan’, Korsunka, Nova Mayachka, Chelburda, Rybal’che and Solontsi.
In the DPR, in the village of Panteleimonivka, 8 civilians were injured by a HIMARS shrapnel charge.
Graziella Giangiulio
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