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.
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.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during a joint press conference with Austrian President Alexander van der Bellen on April 14, 2023 in Vienna, Austria. (Thomas Kronsteiner/Getty Images)
Polish President Andrzej Duda on April 16 denounced Russia for its "bloodthirsty imperialism" and dismissed threats made to Poland and the Baltic states.
"Russia, which is behaving aggressively towards NATO and implementing its brutal and bloodthirsty imperialism, has been attacking Ukraine for three years," Duda said.
"Everything NATO does is a response to Russian aggression... NATO has never attacked anyone and does not attack, it is an alliance that exclusively supports security," he added.
Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) Director Sergey Naryshkin threatened Poland and the Baltic states on April 15, claiming the countries would be the "first to suffer" in a direct conflict between NATO and the Russian Federation.
Duda described the threats by Naryshkin as "classic Russian misleading disinformation."
Duda condemned Russia for escalating tensions with inflammatory statements and aggressive actions on the border between Russia, Belarus, Poland, and the Baltic states.
"This is said by Russia, which is redeploying its nuclear weapons to Belarus, brazenly bringing them closer to the borders of NATO and the European Union," Duda said.
Duda called for Western nations to continue to strengthen their defense capabilities to deter Russian aggression.
"Strengthening Euro-Atlantic ties, modernizing our armies so that the deterrence potential is real in our countries — this is the only effective policy that should continue to be implemented calmly and consistently," Duda said.
Duda underlined the importance of NATO amid the threats made by Russia.
"Our presence in NATO and our joint readiness for mutual defense based on Article 5 is of fundamental importance," Duda said.
Russia regularly threatens to escalate its war against Ukraine amid Western support for the embattled nation.
"They should understand, but do not yet understand, that in the event of aggression by the North Atlantic Alliance against (Russia and Belarus), damage will be done, of course, to the entire NATO bloc, but to a greater extent, the first to suffer will be the bearers of such ideas among the political circles of Poland and the Baltic countries," Naryshkin claimed on April 15.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
