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.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US secretary of state, on Oct. 5, 2023. (Alejandro Cegarra/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a select group of lawmakers that Azerbaijan might be planning to invade Armenia in the coming weeks, Politico reported on Oct. 13.
Officials familiar with the discussion told Politico that Blinken spoke about the possibility of an invasion in a conference call on Oct. 3.
The call addressed officials' questions about the U.S. response to Azerbaijan's September offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the call, Blinken reportedly told lawmakers that the State Department will not renew an established agreement that permits the U.S. to offer Azerbaijan military aid. The agreement has been renewed every year since 2002, but lapsed in June.
In the same conversation, Blinken warned that Azerbaijan may invade southern Armenia.
Following Baku's rapid Setp. 19 offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended in a Russia-brokered ceasefire after one day, around 100,000 residents are reported to have fled the region for Armenia.
Yerevan has since expressed fears that Baku might have designs on sovereign Armenian territory.
Of particular concern is the southern region of Syunik, which Azerbaijan calls the Zangezur Corridor and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refers to as "Western Azerbaijan."
Aliyev did not attend peace talks scheduled between Baku and Yerevan on Oct. 5 in Granada, Spain. Aliyev later suggested Georgia as a host country for negotiations with Armenia.
On the Oct. 3 call, Blinken expressed hopes that the conflict between Armeni and Azerbaijan could still be resolved through productive diplomatic talks, officials said.
Francis Farrell
