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).
Josep Borrell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the von der Leyen Commission, stands in the European Parliament building and speaks. (Photo by Philipp von Ditfurth/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The European Union's chief diplomat Josep Borrell rejected the idea of cutting weapons supplies for Ukraine in an interview with the Spanish radio station Onda Cero on June 12.
Borrell criticized those who call for stopping military aid for Ukraine "for the sake of peace."
"What will be next? What if we stop sending military aid to Ukraine? This will not convince Russia to withdraw. We all want peace, but we have to know what kind of peace we want," Borrell said.
According to the EU's top diplomat, the main goal of Ukraine's partners must be a complete Russian withdrawal from the occupied territories.
He added that Putin made a "gigantic mistake" when he underestimated Ukraine's capacity for resistance against the invasion.
Borrell shared hopes that China, having a close relationship with Putin, may influence the Russian dictator to end the war.
Many international partners who provide military aid to Ukraine have encountered domestic opposition to these efforts.
For example in Germany and Czechia, rallies often attended by far-right and far-left figures protest their governments' policies of supporting Ukraine with arms. They instead argue with the necessity for immediate peace talks and diplomacy measures.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in December 2022 that only Russian dictator Vladimir Putin could "turn the war from a military path to a diplomatic one" by ordering his troops to leave Ukraine.
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.
Francis Farrell
