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.
Alyona Alyona in the Azovstal t-shirt (Instagram/Alyona Alyona)
Ukraine's public broadcaster said on May 15 that it did not receive a fine over Azovstal T-shirts worn by Ukrainian artist Alyona Alyona and her delegation at the Eurovision Song Contest on the weekend.
In an Instagram post on May 14, Alyona Alyona, whose real name is Aliona Savranenko, said the clothing printed with the logo "Free Azovstal Defenders" had incurred a penalty from the organizers.
"We took a big risk, but it worked out. We just got off with a financial fine," the original post said.
An edited version later on only stated: "We took a lot of risks, but everything worked out."
Ukraine's public broadcaster Suspilne said in a statement on May 15 that it had not received any "complaints or fines for alleged violations of the rules."
Ukraine's Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil won third place at the 68th Eurovision competition on May 12 with their song "Teresa & Maria."
This year's Eurovision was particularly politically sensitive – the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public service media organizations that organize the contest, cracked down on performers who tried to signal support for Palestine amid the ongoing invasion of Gaza, which has killed over 35,000 Palestinians since October 2023.
Protesters criticized Eurovision for allowing Israel to participate in the 2024 contest.
Chris York
