President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
"We agreed to pursue ambitious measures to reduce Russia's ability to wage war by limiting Kremlin revenues, disrupting the shadow fleet, tightening the Oil Price Cap, and reducing our remaining imports of Russian energy."
Zelensky on May 12 removed Lieutenant General Ivan Havryliuk from the Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief, the top command and control body for all branches of Ukraine's defense apparatus.
Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.
The phone call comes as Moscow once again rejected a 30-day ceasefire, with Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova claiming that a ceasefire would give "Kyiv a break to restore its military potential and continue its confrontation with Russia."
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test, at a railway station in Seoul on May 17, 2024 (Jung Yeon-je / AFP)
North Korea has supplied Russia with more than 100 short-range ballistic missiles, and 5 million artillery shells, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said on Nov. 29.
In comments to Interfax-Ukraine, HUR also said Pyongyang had begun supplying Moscow with artillery systems last month.
"In total, over 100 pieces of various equipment have been transferred, including 170-mm M-1989 self-propelled artillery systems, and 240-mm M-1991 multiple rocket launchers," it said.
"Additionally, North Korea continues to supply Russia with large-calibre artillery ammunition and short-range ballistic missiles of the Kn-23/24 type."
HUR added that as of this month, over 5 million artillery rounds and 100 artillery shells have been delivered.
On the same day, Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov arrived in Pyongyang for an official visit amid deepening military cooperation between the two countries.
Belousov's visit to Pyongyang comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin's state visit to the hermit country in June, where Russia formally deepened it military and economic cooperation with Pyongyang.
Pyongyang is believed to have dispatched over 10,000 troops to aid Russia's war, with the first clashes with Ukrainian forces reported in Kursk Oblast. North Korea has also become Moscow's leading supplier of artillery shells and ballistic missiles.
A source with Ukraine's General Staff also indicated to Reuters on Nov. 23 that the majority of North Korean soldiers were finalizing training.
In recent months, Russia has focused on regaining territory lost in the country's Kursk Oblast following a surprise Ukrainian incursion into the region in August. According to the source in Ukraine's General Staff, Ukraine has lost over 40 percent of the territory it previously gained in Kursk Oblast due to Russian counterattacks.
NATO allies believe that Putin is aiming to recapture territory lost in Kursk Oblast before U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20, the Telegraph reported, hoping to gain leverage in future peace negotiations.
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Chris York
