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.
"I am grateful for the support and the readiness at the highest level to promote diplomacy," President Volodymyr Zelensky said of the phone conservation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. "We share the same view on the need for a ceasefire."
The convictions mark a significant development in Britain's efforts to counter Russian intelligence operations amid heightened tensions stemming from Moscow's war against Ukraine and repeated Kremlin threats toward Kyiv's allies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (L) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (R) during a joint press conference in Budapest, Hungary, on May 9, 2024. (Photo by SZILARD KOSZTICSAK/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he supports the "Chinese peace plan" during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Budapest on May 9.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry published a 12-point statement in Feb. 2023 outlining Beijing’s position on the “political settlement” of Russia’s full-scale war. Many Western leaders dismissed the proposal, noting that it would likely only work in Russia’s favor.
"Today, Europe is on the side of war," Orban said during a joint press conference with President Xi. "The only exception is Hungary, which calls for an immediate ceasefire and peace negotiations and supports all international efforts that point towards peace...We also support the Chinese peace initiative presented by Xi Jinping.”
The Chinese President is currently on a tour of Europe. Over the last week, President Xi has met with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Hungary is the only EU country to have maintained close ties with the Kremlin since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. In stark contrast to other Western leaders, the Hungarian leader recently congratulated Vladimir Putin on his presidential election "win."
Beijing has similarly maintained close ties with Moscow during the war, tightening economic cooperation and disrupting Western attempts at isolating Russia.
"Twenty years ago, we lived in a single-centered world order, and now in a multi-centered one, and one of the pillars of this new world order is the People's Republic of China, which is now decisive in world economic and world political processes," Orban added.
Ukraine is keeping diplomatic channels with China open, even though Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow. European officials have urged Beijing to use its influence over Moscow to help end the war.
Following the release of the Chinese peace plan last year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised to consider the proposal but said that the plan would not likely move forward because it did not require Russian troops to leave Ukrainian territory or promise a return of Russian-occupied Ukraine to the Ukrainian government.
Zelensky introduced his 10-point peace plan in Fall 2022, which included a complete withdrawal of Russian troops from occupied Ukrainian lands. The Swiss government will host a peace summit next month to discuss this plan, with some 160 national delegations invited to the talks.
President Zelensky announced earlier this week that he had invited Orban to the summit but did not confirm that the Hungarian leader agreed to attend.
Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak confirmed this month that the Ukrainian government strongly encourages Chinese participation in the summit.
“With respect to China, we are doing everything for China to be present there. China is very important, and consultations are continuously ongoing at various levels with the participation of our partners,” Yermak said.
American officials, however, said that they did not believe that China would be open to agreeing to Ukraine's 10-point peace formula.
Kateryna Denisova
