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).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba (R) in Guangzhou, China on July 24, 2024. (China's Foreign Ministry)
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi cautioned on Sept. 28 against the escalation of the war in Ukraine, amid accusations from Kyiv that Beijing is supporting Russia. Kyiv has expressed skepticism towards Beijing's calls for negotiations, yet Wang reiterated China's willingness to assist in brokering a resolution.
"The top priority is to commit to no expansion of the battlefield, no escalation of fighting, and no provocation by any party, and push for de-escalation of the situation as soon as possible," he said during the U.N. General Assembly, according to Agence France-Presse.
"China is committed to playing a constructive role, engaging in shuttle mediation and promoting talks for peace, not throwing oil on the fire or exploiting the situation for selfish gains."
China's support for Russia's defense industry has played a significant role in shifting the battlefield momentum in Ukraine in Moscow's favor.
This assistance encompassed a range of critical elements, including the supply of crucial components and materials to Russia's military-industrial complex, the provision of dual-use technologies that have both civilian and military applications, and the delivery of chips, design features, and capacities associated with explosive manufacturing.
China has also been instrumental in supporting the development of unmanned aerial vehicles that Russia has deployed in Ukraine, enhancing its battlefield capabilities.
Russia has secretly established a development and production program in China for attack drones to be used in the war in Ukraine, Reuters reported on Sept. 25 citing European intelligence sources and documents reviewed by the outlet.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Abbey Fenbert
