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.
Ukrainian military personnel receives armored maneuver training on German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks at the Spanish army's training center of San Gregorio in Zaragoza on March 13, 2023. (OSCAR DEL POZO/AFP via Getty Images)
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles confirmed on April 28 that six German-made Leopard 2 tanks are already in Poland and "being transported by rail to Ukraine," the Objective media outlet reported.
On April 23, Robles said the tanks were due to arrive in Ukraine "within a week." She also said that Spain would deliver four more Leopards to Ukraine after repairs "as soon as possible," according to CNN.
The report about the expected arrival of the Spanish Leopards comes as Ukraine says it is preparing for a counteroffensive and awaits more weapons and equipment pledged by Western allies.
Earlier in the day, Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said the country's preparations for an upcoming counteroffensive are "coming to an end" as the military undergoes training on Western-provided weapons.
"The equipment has been announced, prepared, and partially delivered. There is equipment on which the training programs are at the final stage. The crews will arrive (in Ukraine) with it when the time and place will be determined," Reznikov said at a press conference.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently said that more than 230 tanks – including a few dozen Leopard 2 tanks – had already been delivered to Ukraine.
To ease maintenance of tanks, Germany, Poland, and Ukraine on April 21 signed a letter of intent to open a maintenance hub in Poland for Leopard 2 main battle tanks, Reznikov said.
Since the beginning of the full-scale war, both Ukraine and Russia have relied on Soviet-designed tanks – and Western tanks, such as Leopard 2s, are expected to give Kyiv a major equipment advantage over Moscow.
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