Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
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).
The Resilient Africa cargo vessel leaving Ukraine's port of Chornomorsk on the Black Sea on Sept. 19, 2023. (Oleksandr Kubrakov/Facebook)
The Palau-flagged Resilient Africa bulk carrier loaded with 3,000 metric tons of wheat has left the Black Sea port of Chornomorsk and is moving towards the Bosphorus, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov reported on Sept. 19.
Resilient Africa and another cargo vessel, Aroyat, have become the first civilian ships that agreed to enter Ukrainian ports after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July. They are expected to deliver 20,000 tons of grain to African and Asian countries.
Aroyat is still docked in the Chornomorsk port while loaded with Ukrainian wheat for Egypt, Kubrakov said on Facebook.
According to the official, the vessels are flying under the flag of the island nation of Palau, and their crews consist of Turkish, Azerbaijani, Egyptian, and Ukrainian citizens.
Following Russia's unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, Ukraine's navy announced a new temporary corridor for civilian ships on Aug. 10.
The route was primarily meant to allow passage for ships stuck in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the start of the full-scale invasion. As of Sept. 16, five vessels have been evacuated through the temporary corridor, Kubrakov reported earlier.
Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grain Initiative in mid-July after repeated threats to do so and has since been targeting Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure, ports, and grain stockpiles.
Brokered by Turkey and the U.N. in July 2022, the grain deal was originally meant to guarantee the safe passage of ships transporting Ukraine's agricultural exports from the Black Sea during the invasion.
Dinara Khalilova
