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.
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.
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 suspect quit his job at the Rivne NPP before the full-scale war began. In the spring of 2025, a GRU liaison contacted him and offered cooperation in exchange for money.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in Italy on Oct. 10, 2024. (President Volodymyr Zelensky/X)
The next Ukraine Recovery Conference will take place in Rome on July 10-11, 2025, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Oct. 10 after meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, Rai News reported.
The event will follow previous conferences in London in 2023 and Berlin in 2024 aimed at mobilizing support for Ukraine's post-war reconstruction and recovery efforts.
"Looking at future peace and prosperity also means looking at reconstruction, and I am happy to announce that the 'Ukraine Recovery Conference' will be held in Rome on 10 and 11 July 2025," Meloni said after meeting Zelensky in comments quoted by Rai News.
Zelensky visited Italy as part of his European tour, which included visits to the U.K., France, and the Vatican. He is scheduled to travel to Germany later on Oct. 11 to meet Chancellor Olaf Scholz as Kyiv aims to ramp up support for Ukraine and its five-step victory plan.
"Ukraine is not alone; we will be by its side for as long as necessary," Meloni added.
The next year's conference will include government officials from 77 countries, and it will host approximately 1,800 attendees, Italian officials previously said.
Italy also hosted the G7 conference in June, at which the world's wealthiest democracies pledged a $50 billion loan for Ukraine, backed by proceeds from Russian frozen assets.
In February, the World Bank estimated that Ukraine would need $486 billion over a 10-year period to repair the damages wrought by the Russian war.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Liliane Bivings
