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.
The People's Square with the clock tower in Split that was originally a defensive tower and part of the city walls. (Jens Kalaene/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Tetiana Hlyniana, the owner of the companies that procured food for the Ukrainian army at inflated prices in 2023, owns hotels in the resort town of Split in Croatia, according to an investigation published by Ukrainian media outlet NV on Jan. 6.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) said in January 2023 that it had begun to investigate possible corruption in the Defense Ministry's food procurement before ZN.ua, a news site, published an investigation on the issue.
According to the report, the ministry sought to buy food at prices two to three times higher than it costs at Kyiv grocery stores. That contract was with a supplier called Active Company, which is owned by Hlyniana.
NV reported that Hlyniana owns companies that operate at least four hotels worth over $10 million in Split.
According to the Croatian business registry, Hlyniana became the beneficiary of three hotel companies in the fall of 2023. Moreover, she founded another hotel company in 2016.
NV also reported, citing its sources, that one of the hotels, Mirari, underwent renovations, with construction work also underway nearby.
The investigation into inflated food prices at the Defense Ministry has triggered a major scandal in Ukraine and attracted attention worldwide.
The ministry first denied but eventually admitted that some prices in contracts it signed were above average. Following the scandal, in January 2023, the ministry revoked its food supply contracts and signed new ones with the same companies.
Amid the corruption scandal, Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov resigned in September.
Alexander Khrebet is a reporter with the Kyiv Independent. He covers Ukraine’s foreign policy, alleged abuse of power in the country’s military leadership, and reports on the Russian-occupied territories. Alexander is the European Press Prize 2023 winner, the #AllForJan Award 2023 winner and Ukraine's 2022 National Investigative Journalism Award finalist. His was published in the Washington Times and Atlantic Council.
Martin Fornusek
