#KYIV

Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk will visit the U.S. on Monday morning, where on Tuesday, together with the Polish President Andrzej Duda, he will meet the U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House. The meeting will be held on the 25th anniversary of Poland’s accession to NATO. The PM will also be accompanied on his trip by the head of Poland’s Foreign Ministry, Radosław Sikorski.

Russia has appointed Admiral Alexander Moiseev as acting commander-in-chief of the Russian navy, the Fontanka news outlet reported on Sunday, citing unidentified sources.

The Polish ambassador in Washington, Marek Magierowski, expressed concern about the content of the letter of some Polish activists, in which they appealed to avoid deeper Polish involvement in the war in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the largest Polish organizations in the U.S. have expressed their support for further assistance to Ukraine.

The Polish Foreign Minister, Radosław Sikorski, has responded on social media to Pope Francis’ comments suggesting that Ukraine should “raise the white flag” and end the war with Russia.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has approved the candidacy of former army chief Valeriy Zaluzhnyi as ambassador to Great Britain, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced in a statement on Thursday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis were visiting the Black Sea port of Odesa on Wednesday when a Russian missile hit the infrastructure, close enough for the two leaders to see the strike.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants for top Russian commanders Sergei Kobylash and Viktor Sokolov over alleged war crimes in Ukraine, as stated in a statement on Tuesday. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy welcomed the arrest warrants. Earlier, a Kyiv official had declared the move as being “extremely symbolic.”

French President Emmanuel Macron during his visit to the Czech Republic on Tuesday told expats in Prague that it was time for Ukraine’s allies to step up, adding that a moment was approaching “in our Europe where it will be appropriate not to be a coward.” He and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala also signed a strategic partnership action plan, which lays out certain common goals and denounces Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Polish and Ukrainian foreign ministers, Radosław Sikorski and Dmytro Kuleba, have talked about ways to increase arms and artillery ammunition supplies to Ukraine, Kuleba has said.

Ukraine has significantly increased its use of domestically made weapons and military equipment, a senior defense official said on Thursday, as Kyiv aims to become more self-sufficient amid faltering Western military aid.

On Thursday, Speaker Mike Johnson stated that “the House is actively considering options” for foreign aid, following appeals from President Biden and other congressional leaders to expedite assistance for Ukraine during a meeting at the White House.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy tried to drum up Balkan support for his vision of peace in Ukraine and promoted the idea of joint arms production at a two-day summit of southeastern European countries on Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman where he praised the kingdom’s efforts in seeking a solution to end Russia’s two year long invasion of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the European parliament approved long-term financial assistance for Ukraine in the amount of EUR 50 billion and the related revision of the European Union budget for 2021-2027.

Ukraine has withdrawn from the villages of Sievierne and Stepove near the eastern town of Avdiivka, recently captured by Russian forces, military spokesperson Dmytro Lykhoviy said on Tuesday.

Poland, Germany, Britain, and other European countries said on Tuesday that they had no plans to send ground troops to Ukraine after France hinted at this possibility. “Poland does not foresee sending its units into Ukraine’s territory,” said the Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

Russian troops have carried out yet another execution of a group of Ukrainian soldiers who had the intention to surrender as prisoners of war, reported Dmytro Lubinets, the Ukrainian Parliament Commissioner for Human Rights on Telegram.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sunday that 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers had been killed since Russia launched its full-scale invasion two years ago, giving the first official figure after more than a year. Zelenskyy said that Kyiv is planning another counteroffensive against Russia while adding that Moscow is also likely to attempt another in late May or summer.

Mykhailo Podolyak, an aide to the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, has expressed conviction that Ukraine and Poland will reach an agreement concerning border protests staged by Polish farmers.

Ukraine and its foreign partners could invite Russia to a future peace summit to discuss an end to Moscow’s two-year-old invasion on Kyiv’s terms, said Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian office of the President, on Sunday.