The head of American diplomacy Antony Blinken arrived in kyiv on Tuesday May 14 for a surprise visit, at a time when Russia is leading a vast offensive in northeastern Ukraine. His visit, which had not been announced beforehand, comes a few weeks after the vote of the American Congress releasing a massive envelope for Ukraine of 61 billion dollars, after months of blockage. Follow our live stream.
A train has derailed in southwest Russia. Of the “unauthorized persons” derailed a freight train near Volgograd, Russian news agencies announced. No details were provided about this incident or the perpetrators. The town of Kotluban, where it took place, is located about 300 km from the border with Ukraine, and the region is sometimes the target of drone attacks launched by the Ukrainian army.
Fighting continues in the Kharkiv region. The Russian army launched an offensive and captured dozens of km2 in the northeast of the country. kyiv mobilizes its reinforcements but the Ukrainian army lacks resources. President Volodymyr Zelensky nevertheless assured Monday evening that kyiv was carrying out “counter-attacks” and that the defense had been reinforced there.
Olaf Scholz calls for more aid to Ukraine. “We will support Ukraine as long as it takes,” declared the German Chancellor during a trip to Stockholm. Germany, which announced in April the sending of an additional Patriot air defense system to Ukraine, is urging its European allies to follow its example.