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What happened in Ukraine-related politics on 12 May 2022?
Summary
A retrospective on a day when sport rules for Russian and Belarusian players sat alongside earlier diplomatic moves over the war.
What was the political picture on 12 May 2022, more than eleven weeks into Russia's invasion of Ukraine? One development that day came from sport: tennis players from Russia and Belarus were to be allowed to compete at the upcoming French Open as neutral athletes. Players who spoke in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin would face sanctions.
Diplomacy in the preceding days
The day followed two notable diplomatic moments. On 6 May 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine was open to continuing peace talks with Russia, but only on certain conditions. These were a guarantee of the restoration of preinvasion borders, the return of Ukrainians who had been forcibly evacuated to Russia, and a withdrawal of Russian troops from the country.
On 8 May 2022, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland and Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly made an unannounced visit to Kyiv. They met Zelenskyy while the Russian invasion continued.
Why the pieces fit together
Taken together, these reports show how the war was being handled on several fronts in the days around 12 May 2022. Ukraine's leadership set out its terms for talks, and a Western government sent its top leaders to Kyiv. Meanwhile, the question of how Russian and Belarusian athletes could take part in international competition was being settled in tennis, with participation allowed under a neutral status and with a penalty attached to public support for Putin.
