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).
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.
Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor, right, and Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, left, during a news conference at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, Germany, on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Germany's Finance Ministry is not planning to approve additional aid to Ukraine as part of budgetary savings this year, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported on Aug. 17, citing obtained documents and emails, and unnamed sources.
According to FAZ, Ukraine will receive previously approved assistance, but additional requests from the German Defense Ministry will not be supported.
The possible freezing of new aid for Ukraine has led to a "tangible dispute" in the German government, FAZ reported, citing several unnamed sources.
Berlin has not commented on these reports.
Initially a hesitant partner, Berlin has become Ukraine's second-largest military donor after the U.S., although German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is still reluctant to supply some key capabilities, namely Taurus long-range missiles.
Berlin will provide Kyiv with around 8 billion euros ($8.8 billion) this year but the aid will be reportedly cut by half — to 4 billion euros ($4.4 billion) — in 2025. In 2026, Ukraine may receive 3 billion euros ($3.3 billion) from Germany, and 500 million euros ($550 million) in 2027 and 2028.
Reuters reported in May, citing an unnamed source, that Berlin planned to up its military aid to Ukraine by another 3.8 billion euros ($4.13 billion) in 2024. However, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius' request was not approved by the Finance Ministry, according to FAZ.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner sent on Aug. 5 a letter to Boris Pistorius and Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, which says that "new measures" are allowed only if "funding is secured" in the budget plans for this and coming years, FAZ reported.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the EU and Group of 7 (G7) countries out side of EU have frozen around 300 billion euros ($325 billion) in assets from Russia's Central Bank, but there has been a lack of consensus on how best to seize them, in part or whole, and redirect the funds to Ukraine.
G7 leaders publicly confirmed in June an agreement on the plan to provide Ukraine with a $50 billion loan by the end of the year, which will be repaid using interest from billions in frozen Russian assets.
According to FAZ, Lindner expects that this money will cover a significant part of Ukraine's military needs. Yet, the G7 decision is far from being finalized and negotiations between the nations are ongoing, the media outlet reported.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
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