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.
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.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov attending online the 19th Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on Feb. 14, 2024. (Rustem Umerov/Facebook)
An allied coalition supporting Ukraine's air defense capabilities officially started its work during the 19th Ramstein-format meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said on Feb. 14.
The initiative is led by Germany, France, and the U.S., and 15 countries total have already joined, Umerov noted.
The UDCG serves as an umbrella for several other "capability coalitions," such as the Dutch and Danish-led "fighter jet coalition" or the French-led "artillery coalition," aimed at long-term support for Ukraine's military capacities.
"Strengthening Ukraine's air defense capabilities is essential for the future of the conflict and the protection of civilian population," French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu said after signing the agreement on the "air defense coalition" with his German counterpart, Boris Pistorius.
Umerov also announced the official launch of the "drone coalition," led by Latvia and encompassing seven other countries. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Netherlands, Germany, and Estonia have newly joined this initiative.
Some 20 countries have already joined the Lithuanian-led demining coalition, and the 10 members of the IT coalition formally signed a cooperation agreement.
According to Ukraine's defense minister, the agenda of the UDCG summit also included artillery systems and shells, namely joint production. The plan to deliver F-16 fighter jets continues according to the schedule, he added.
"Partner support is unwavering. We are working to knock the Russians out of our territories—land, sea, and sky," Umerov said on Facebook.
In his opening remarks to the summit, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Feb. 14 meeting will focus on meeting Kyiv's short-term urgent needs in the fields of artillery, ammunition, and air defenses.
Umerov said during an earlier Ramstein-format summit in September 2023 that forming coalitions centered around air defense, artillery, aviation, navy, and armored vehicles are the allies' key priorities.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
