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.
Maxar satellite imagery shows the destruction of a high school and homes in Bakhmut, Ukraine. (2023 Maxar Technologies/Getty Images)
Wagner Group head Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed full control over the embattled city of Bakhmut on May 20 in a voice message posted to Telegram. Ukraine has denied his claim.
“Today, at 12 noon, Bahmut was completely taken,” the mercenary group head claimed. “We completely took the whole city, from house to house.”
His press service posted a video purporting to show Prigozhin holding a Russian flag in Bakhmut, surrounded by Wagner mercenaries. The sound of explosions appear to be heard in the background as he spoke.
Prigozhin claimed that the Wagner Group will withdraw from Bakhmut on May 25 for "rest and retraining," giving over the reins to Russia’s regular military. He added that the group “will return when help is needed.”
His press service claimed that a “full video of the hoisting of flags” will be uploaded later this evening.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify Prigozhin’s claim or the footage provided by his press service.
“This is not true. Our units are fighting in Bakhmut,” Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military’s Eastern Operational Command, said. He did not provide further information.
Following Prigozhin’s claim, Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said there is “heavy fighting in Bakhmut,” adding that the “situation in critical.” She noted that Ukrainian troops are maintaining a defense in the south-western part of the city.
“As of now, our defenders control certain industrial and infrastructure facilities of the area and the private sector,” Maliar said.
In the morning of May 20, Cherevatyi reported that Russia is sending airborne and motorized rifle units, as well as Wagner mercenaries, to Bahmut. He noted that capturing Bakhmut remains a top priority for Russia’s military.
Meanwhile, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported that Russia has likely redeployed several battalions to the Bakhmut sector, noting that Russia is seeking to claim at least some level of success in the war amid Ukrainian successes and growing concerns about the Wagner group’s reliability.
The battle of Bakhmut has been ongoing since August 2022 and has been described as one of the largest and heaviest engagements in the war.
Recently, Prigozhin threatened to withdraw his forces from the embattled Donetsk Oblast city and, according to the Washington Post leaks, he has been in contact with Ukrainian military intelligence.In the meantime, Ukraine’s forces seized the initiative around Bakhmut on May 19 and advanced up to 500 meters in some areas.
Teah Pelechaty is the opinion editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is also a co-editor of Belarus Weekly, the Kyiv Independent's weekly update on current affairs in Belarus. She received a master’s degree in Global Affairs with a specialization in Global Security and Digital Governance at the University of Toronto and Sciences Po. She was previously a junior policy analyst in national security at the Government of Canada and a research associate with the European Values Center for Security Policy and the Atlantic Council.
Francis Farrell
