Earlier reporting from the Washington Post cited a former Russian official who claimed Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide, Yuri Ushakov, would represent Moscow in the talks.
The Council of Europe on May 14 approved the creation of a special tribunal to prosecute Russia's top leadership for the crime of aggression against Ukraine, Ukrainian lawmaker Maria Mezentseva reported.
Viktoria Roshchyna, 27, disappeared in August 2023 while reporting from Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories. Moscow admitted she was in Russian detention the following year.
Dutch Justice Minister David van Weel speaks about the future of the EU-led special tribunal for the crime of aggression against Ukraine and its role in bringing Russia to justice.
Turkish officials told Bloomberg that while they don't expect Trump to visit Istanbul, they are not ruling it out, and preparations for any scenario are underway.
Melkonyants was arrested in August 2023 in connection with the activities of the European Network of Election Monitoring Organizations (ENEMO), which was co-founded by Golos's legal predecessor, the Golos association.
Ukraine's underground storage facilities are currently using 19.4% of their capacity. Almost 32%, or 2.79 bcm, less gas is available in the storages than in the previous year, according to the estimates.
The majority of Ukrainians, 71%, do not support holding elections before a full peace deal, even in the case of a ceasefire and security guarantees, according to a poll published by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS) on May 14.
"He'd like me to be there, and that's a possibility. ... I don't know that he would be there if I'm not there. We're going to find out," U.S. President Donald Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One while traveling to Qatar, Reuters reported.
Trump has long demanded that NATO allies increase their military spending, previously calling for the alliance to raise its benchmark from 2% to 5% of GDP.
More than 1,000 Russian government entities and 1,200 private companies are involved in the economy of occupied Mariupol, a major southeastern city occupied by Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022, according to a research paper published on May 14.
CEO of Russia's gas giant Alexei Miller (L), Russian President Vladimir Putin (2nd L), and Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Gaoli (R) attend the ceremony marking the welding of the first link of "The Power of Siberia" main gas pipeline on Sept. 14, 2014. The "Power of Siberia 2" pipeline, following the completion of the first pipeline, has seen construction delays. (Alexey Nikolsky/Ria Novosti/AFP via Getty Images)
A planned gas pipeline connecting Russia's Yamal Peninsula through Mongolia to China faces construction delays, Mongolian Prime Minister Luvsannamsrain Oyun-Erdene said in comments published by the Financial Times (FT) on Jan. 28.
Construction of the pipeline, referred to as Power of Siberia 2, was scheduled to begin in 2024. The proposed pipeline would strengthen Russia's ability to export gas to China, which is increasingly important for Russia after Europe declared its goal of weaning itself from dependence on Russian energy.
Oyun-Erdene said that China and Russia have not yet agreed on some of the crucial details of the planned 3,550-kilometer pipeline.
"The Chinese and Russian sides are still doing the calculations and estimations and they are working on the economic benefits." Oyun-Erdene said.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak said that the construction schedule would be finalized after a forthcoming contract with the Chinese side but did not specify a timeline.
Responding to the FT, China's Foreign Ministry did not comment specifically on the construction delays.
Stuck between two larger and significantly more powerful neighbors, Mongolia has struggled to remain neutral regarding Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mongolia is still almost completely dependent on Russia for fuel, and more than 90% of Mongolian exports go to China.
Despite Russian efforts, Mongolia has refrained from actively supporting Russia's full-scale war but also abstained from voting at the UN to condemn it.
One of the few democracies in the region, Mongolia has sought to increase its ties to the West, but its efforts are limited by its two neighbors. There are concerns that a strong anti-war position from Mongolia could trigger a damaging response from Russia, such as cutting off fuel supplies to the country.
“We always stand for a cooperation between other countries,” Oyun-Erdene told FT.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Nate Ostiller
