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).
Remains of a Shahed 136 kamikaze drone at an exhibition showing remains of missiles and drones that Russia used to attack Kyiv on May 12, 2023, in Kyiv. (Photo credit: Oleksii Samsonov /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions examined 174 foreign components from three drone models used by Russia to attack Ukraine — Shahed-136/131, Lancet, and Orlan-10 — discovering that more than 60% had come from China.
The study results show that 67% of the components originate in China, with 17% of those coming through Hong Kong, according to Ukraine's Presidential Office.
The next largest shares come from Turkey (5%) and the United Arab Emirates (2%).
The expert group also reportedly found parts, including processors, microcircuits, and transistors, made in Japan, South Korea, Switzerland, and other countries.
Many drone components are available on open platforms, making regulatory control difficult, the group noted, calling on manufacturers to do more to prevent Russia from accessing their products in circumvention of international sanctions.
"Russia is extremely active in using drones for massive attacks on infrastructure, civilian and military facilities in Ukraine, so it is very disturbing to see that important components for the production of enemy drones come from other states, in particular Ukraine's allies. This issue requires our joint immediate response," Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak said.
The Yermak-McFaul Expert Group has recommended Kyiv's partners get their sanctions lists into an agreement, as well as unify the lists of dual-use goods and expand the categories of products subject to sanctions based on the codes of the Harmonized System, a global product classification system.
According to the Telegraph's recent investigation, China has sent tens of thousands of shipments to Russian weapons firms since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. Trade between Moscow and Beijing is on track to reach a record high this year of over $200 billion, the Telegraph wrote.
These trade records contradict China's claims of neutrality and its promises not to provide either Ukrainian or Russian forces with weapons.
Martin Fornusek
