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.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
Russia will announce its representative for the expected talks in Istanbul once Putin "deems it necessary," the Kremlin said.
During reconnaissance in an unspecified front-line sector, Special Operations Forces' operators detected Buk-M3 and Uragan-1 on combat duty, the unit said.
The revision was connected to global trade upheavals, which only aggravate Ukraine's economic challenges stemming from Russia's full-scale invasion.
Reznikov denies dishonest scheme in procurement of military clothing
Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov during a press conference on Aug. 28 refuted reports that the defense ministry had procured summer jackets instead of winter ones for inflated prices, Ukrinform reported.
Earlier in August, an investigation by Dzerkalo Tyzhnia said that the ministry had signed a contract with a Turkish company in September 2022 on the purchase of $33 million worth of "winter" clothes for the military, which were, in fact, summer clothes.
Dzerkalo Tyzhnia also uncovered that the documents accompanying the shipment had been manipulated. The price of some jackets worth around $29 was in another document reportedly "amended" to $86.
Reznikov said during the press conference that prices for military jackets at around $29 are unrealistic, as they usually range between $80-$120.
Presenting examples of both summer and winter jackets at the conference, the minister said that the clothes provided were suitable for the winter conditions as the ministry has not recorded any complaints from the military personnel. Reznikov added that the delivery in question included 180,000 jackets, of which around 45,000 are in warehouses and around 135,000 in use.
Reznikov criticized the media's investigation, saying such reports "mislead society, and worst of all, they also mislead our partners."
"Because from the outside it looks like it's a mess, and then questions arise: should we trust this country?" he said during the press conference.
The investigation added to the pressure against the defense ministry's leadership, already facing several corruption scandals, such as the procurement of food products for the military at inflated prices uncovered in January.
In reaction to the accusations regarding the jackets' purchase, Reznikov said that he is ready to resign if they are confirmed. The minister also promised to provide "all documents, evidence, facts and materials" related to the case so that the winner of the dispute would be obvious.
In turn, he suggested that lawmaker Anastasia Radina, who accused the Defense Ministry of dishonest schemes, and Mykhailo Tkach, a journalist who reported on the scheme for another outlet Ukrainska Pravda, resign from their positions if the claims prove untrue.
Martin Fornusek
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