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.
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historical Democratic district of the South Bronx on May 23, 2024 in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Donald Trump's controversial peace plan and reported deal with Russia to block Ukraine's accession to NATO are just "rhetoric" for the U.S. presidential election, and "reality will be very different," a senior Ukrainian lawmaker told the Kyiv Independent on July 3.
Oleksandr Merezhko, the chair of the parliament's foreign affairs policy, said if Trump becomes the next U.S. president, his fear of being seen as a "failure" means he will be forced to change his stance on Russia's full-scale invasion.
Trump's position is largely viewed as leaning towards the Kremlin's views and goals.
The former president has promised to end Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine within 24 hours if elected but has declined to publicly elaborate on how he plans to do so, though any such plan would likely involve ceding territory to Russia.
With Kyiv refusing to compromise on territorial integrity to end the war and Moscow's 2022 illegal annexation of four Ukrainian oblasts, Merezhko says any sweeping plans announced by Trump before he is president are unlikely to go anywhere if he takes office.
"(Vladimir) Putin cannot backtrack on annexations," he said.
"When Trump realizes this, when Putin is not eager to make compromises, he will be very disappointed because there is no possibility of reaching a peaceful compromise.
"(Trump) doesn't want to be a failure; he wants to be a success, and if he wants success, he has to get Ukraine to agree, and Ukraine will never agree to territory concessions."
Two top Trump advisors also recently proposed a plan that would cease military aid to Ukraine unless it agrees to cease fire and hold peace negotiations with Russia. Kyiv has previously rejected similar proposals, saying it would only provide a window of opportunity for Moscow to regroup its forces.
"He doesn't want to be a failure," he said. "He is haunted by Afghanistan, and he doesn't want to be the person responsible for losing Ukraine.
"Democrats will be criticizing him heavily, and saying 'look, it was fine under Biden, but you have failed.'"
Trump is also reportedly considering the possibility of making a deal with Russia to block the future NATO accession of certain countries, namely Ukraine and Georgia, Politico reported on July 2.
Merezhko said that while still important, Trump's NATO plans are "secondary" to discussions about a peace plan, though now is not the right time to be having them.
"Those statements made right now are made in the heat of the presidential campaign and are not made seriously," he says.
"So we can only talk about the plan after the election when he has a team and when we know who will be the experts leading the team.
"Whatever peace plan ideas he has now, they are very vague to me, but the reality will be very different."
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Kateryna Hodunova
