"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.
"Our people are going to be going there," U.S. President Donald Trump 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.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a major industrial and logistical hub, remains untouched by ground incursions but is under growing threat.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said Ukraine is "ready to discuss anything," but "only if a ceasefire is achieved."
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.
Former US Marine Paul Whelan marks 5 years in Russian detention
Paul Whelan marked five years in Russian detention on Dec. 28 as he called on U.S. President Joe Biden to “please use every resource available to secure my release as you would do if your own son had been taken hostage.”
Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, was arrested in Moscow on Dec. 28, 2018 and imprisoned on spying charges he denies. He maintains he was visiting Russia to attend a friend's wedding.
He has criticized Biden for being "the guy that made the decision to leave me behind twice," stressing "he's the man that can bring me home," and told media he feels betrayed by the White House.
This comes after WNBA star Brittney Griner and fellow Marine veteran Trevor Reed were swapped for Russian prisoners in the U.S. in 2022.
“I would ask President Biden to pull out the stops, cross the red lines, and do whatever needs to be done to get this case resolved and to get me home. If my life is not worth that effort, then I don’t know what is,” Whelan told CNN last week.
WNBA star Brittney Griner on Dec. 8 commemorated one year since her release from Russia and called for more effort to free others currently detained overseas.
“As you gather with loved ones and take part in your family’s traditions, please tell them how much you love them and also, please take a moment to think about and share a story, send a letter or call a representative about one of the many Americans being held away from their families this holiday season,” the Griner family said earlier in December.
A September study by the James P. Foley Foundation assessed that about 80 percent of the Americans detained in 2022 were in China, Iran, Russia or Venezuela.
The Biden administration is also working to free over 130 hostages, many with U.S. citizenship, who are being held in the Gaza Strip by Hamas, a U.S.-designated terrorist group.
Critics have expressed anger at the Biden administration for failing to leverage all available resources secure the release of U.S. citizens detained worldwide.
Lance Luo
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