Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
The aftermath of Russian attacks against the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Nov. 26, 2024. (Governor Serhii Lysak/Telegram)
Russian strikes against Ukraine killed at least two civilians and injured at least 17 over the past day, regional authorities reported on Nov. 27.
Russia attacked Ukraine with 89 Shahed-type drones and other unmanned aerial vehicles overnight, the Air Force reported.
Thirty-six were shot down by air defenses while 48 were lost across Ukraine, likely thanks to electronic warfare means, the statement read. Five drones reportedly flew to Belarus, Russia, and occupied territories.
Some of the drones targeted the capital city of Kyiv overnight. Two people were injured when drone debris fell on a non-residential building, the city's military administration reported.
Drone debris also damaged houses and apartment buildings elsewhere in Kyiv Oblast.
Russian attacks against Sumy Oblast killed two people and injured one, the regional military administration reported.
The two fatalities were reported after a Russian missile struck a residential building and kindergarten in the city of Sumy. One civilian was also injured during Russian attacks against the Velyka Pysarivka community near the Russian border, officials said.
In Donetsk Oblast, two people were injured in the village of Zhovte, and one in the town of Pokrovsk, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
Russian attacks against Kherson Oblast injured 11 people, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said. A high-rise building, 10 houses, a gas pipeline, a car repair shop, a garage, and cars were damaged.
Chernihiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Luhansk, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, and Zhytomyr oblasts were also attacked, but no casualties were reported.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
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