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).
Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny appears on a screen set up at a courtroom of the Moscow City Court via a video link on May 17, 2023. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
The European Union has established a new sanctions regime against Russia in connection with the death of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny and the "accelerating and systematic repression in Russia," the Council of the EU announced on May 27.
Navalny, Putin's main political opponent, died on Feb. 16 in a penal colony in northern Russia, after being convicted in several fabricated criminal cases as part of the Kremlin's crackdown on dissent.
The EU's top diplomat, Josep Borrell, proposed that the EU set up a new framework of sanctions in response to Navalny's death and serious human rights violations in the country.
The new framework includes a ban on selling or exporting equipment to Russia that could be "used for internal repression," including certain firearms, ammunition, and barbed wire, as well as technology or software intended for the "monitoring or interception of telecommunication."
The sanctions also target 19 individuals, including 13 judges deemed responsible for human rights violations, and one entity, Russia's Federal Penitentiary Service.
The Federal Penitentiary Service is "known for its widespread and systematic abuses against, and ill-treatment of, political prisoners in Russia" and is responsible for the penal colony where Navalny was held, the Council of the EU said.
Two judges from Russia's Supreme Court are among those sanctioned for their role in ensuring Navalny was imprisoned.
"Those designated today are subject to an asset freeze and EU citizens and companies are forbidden from making funds available to them," the Council of the EU said. The individuals on the sanctions list are also subject to a travel ban.
Earlier on May 27, the Council of the EU announced new sanctions against pro-Russian Ukrainian oligarch Viktor Medvedchuk and Ukrainian-Israeli citizen Artem Marchevskyi for spreading disinformation through the Voice of Europe website.
Martin Fornusek
