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.
"Our people are going to be going there," U.S. President Donald Trump 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.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a major industrial and logistical hub, remains untouched by ground incursions but is under growing threat.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said Ukraine is "ready to discuss anything," but "only if a ceasefire is achieved."
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.
U.S. intelligence agencies believe that Ukrainians were likely behind the May 3 drone attack on the Kremlin, the New York Times reported on May 24.
According to the New York Times, it remains unclear which of Ukraine's special military or intelligence units were behind the attack, and whether or not President Volodymyr Zelensky and his top officials were aware of the operation.
U.S. intelligence has a "low" level of confidence in the theory that the Kremlin orchestrated the attack, "but that is because intelligence agencies do not yet have specific evidence identifying which government officials, Ukrainian units or operatives were involved," the New York Times wrote.
The New York Times was told by U.S. officials that "some Ukrainian covert operatives work largely independently and without direct supervision from Zelensky or his top deputies" and "the extent to which (Zelensky) is aware of them in advance is unclear."
As such, U.S. officials believe that Zelensky and his top officials have "set broad parameters for covert campaigns, leaving decisions about who and what to target to the security services and their operatives," allowing them plausible deniability should they end up public.
Russian state media RIA Novosti said on May 3 that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's Kremlin residence was targeted by two Ukrainian drones overnight.
The alleged drone attack occurred in the days leading up to Russia's planned May 9 celebration to commemorate the Soviet Union's role in the victory against Nazi Germany.

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