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).
Flames come out of the tower of an oil refinery plant. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Christophe Gateau/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
A fire broke out at Russia's Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery following a series of explosions in Rostov Oblast in the early hours of June 6, according to Russian media.
Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev claimed the fire was caused by a drone attack, and said emergency services were at work on the scene.
The local Telegram news channel Rostov News posted video footage of the fire at the Novoshakhtinsk facility. Golubev said information about potential casualties was still being investigated.
Ukrainian troops targeted the facility in a previous attack this spring. Military intelligence spokesperson Andrii Yusov said on March 13 that the Novoshakhtinsk oil refinery partially shut down as a result of a drone strike.
Rostov Oblast borders Ukraine to the southeast. Reports of drone attacks against the region's oil industry have increased in spring 2024.
The CEO of Russia's state-controlled oil company, Rosneft, asked the Kremlin in May to approve tax breaks to offset the cost of preventing drone attacks on the company's oil refineries.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Igor Kossov
