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.
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.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in his seat in the main hall of the Hungarian parliament to attend the delegates' first meeting on their autumn agenda, on Sept. 25, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Atitila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)
The European Union may impose capital controls and tariffs on Russia if Hungary blocks the extension of economic sanctions against Moscow, the Financial Times (FT) reported on May 13, citing its undisclosed sources.
The news comes as Ukraine's European allies have signaled their commitment to increase sanctions pressure on Russia if it does not agree to a ceasefire soon.
The European Commission has informed member states that a large part of the sanctions, including the frozen 200 billion euro ($222 billion) in Russian state assets, could be moved to a different legal basis to circumvent Budapest's veto, five officials told the FT.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, one of the most Russia-friendly European leaders, has repeatedly obstructed sanctions on Moscow and threatened to veto the extension of economic restrictions, including import bans and price caps in sectors such as energy.
Some of the sanctions will expire at the end of July unless all 27 EU member states agree on an extension.
Brussels is reportedly considering methods for bypassing Budapest's veto that would require only a majority of EU countries to extend sanctions. Capital controls that would stop cash flows to Russia and trade measures such as tariffs are two options that the European Commission has mentioned in recent weeks, officials said.
The EU has been discussing ways of preventing Hungary from derailing the extension of sanctions for months. According to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL), other options on the table include leaving the sanctions in effect without the formal extension through a legal loophole.
Brussels may also consider not actually adopting the upcoming 17th package of sanctions but instead "horse-trading" with Hungary for its extension, RFE/RL reported.
Germany previously threatened to introduce new sanctions on Moscow in coordination with European partners if it did not implement a ceasefire by the end of May 12. The EU also plans to unveil another round of sanctions against Russia on May 14, an EU official told the Kyiv Independent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin countered the allied demand for a ceasefire by inviting Ukraine to participate in direct negotiations in Istanbul starting May 15. According to Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov, these talks would be based on the terms of the 2022 Istanbul discussions and the "current situation on the battlefield."
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was prepared to meet Putin in Turkey and has reiterated the demand for a full and unconditional ceasefire.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Yuliia Taradiuk
