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.
Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and Azerbaijani Ambassador to Ukraine Seymur Mardaliyev during their meeting in Ukraine, Oct. 9, 2023. (Source: Ukraine's Energy Ministry)
Ukraine expects a new batch of equipment for the restoration of the country's energy grid from Azerbaijan by the end of 2023, the Ukrainian Energy Ministry said on Oct. 9.
The announcement came following a meeting between Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko and Azerbaijani Ambassador Seymur Mardaliyev.
"We highly value our cooperation with Azerbaijan in the energy sector, and we sincerely hope that this cooperation grows stronger," Halushchenko said.
According to the Ukrainian Energy Ministry, Baku already provided Ukraine with 10 shipments of humanitarian aid for the energy sector since the start of the full-scale invasion. This included 50 reserve power stations and 45 power transformers.
During the meeting, Halushchenko reportedly thanked Mardaliyev for Azerbaijan's assistance in maintaining Ukraine's energy system throughout the previous winter.
The ministry's press statement said that the meeting of the two officials also addressed deepening cooperation in the oil and gas industry between the countries.
Ukrainian officials have warned that Russia would likely escalate its attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure in the coming fall and winter months. On Sept. 21, Ukraine's state energy operator Ukrenergo reportedthe first mass strike on the country's energy infrastructure in six months.
Moscow has attempted such a strategy already in the fall and winter of 2022-2023, causing regular blackouts amid freezing temperatures.
As of Aug. 13, the Ukrainian government said it had repaired 80% of the main power grids and high-voltage stations damaged by Russian attacks to their pre-war condition and that 62% of the planned repair work on power units had been completed at the country's thermal power stations.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal then announced on Sept. 12 that over 80% of heating networks, 78% of central heating stations, and more than 80% of residential buildings, 86% of schools, kindergartens, and hospitals were ready for winter, adding that "it should be 100% in a month."
Alexander Query
