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.
Russian Direct Investment Fund head Kirill Dmitriev attends Russian-Chinese talks in Beijing, China, on May 16, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Moscow is using its negotiator, Kirill Dmitriev, to lead discussions with the U.S. on resource development and a partial unblocking of frozen Russian assets, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on April 9.
Dmitriev, who heads the state-controlled Russian Direct Investment Fund, met with U.S. officials in Washington on behalf of Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. Ahead of the trip, the Russian official said that Washington and Moscow have begun discussions on projects related to Russian rare earth minerals.
Dmitriev is communicating Moscow's proposals to Washington, using his Middle Eastern connections, Zelensky said. The Russian envoy previously played a role in backchannel diplomacy between Moscow and Trump when the latter was first elected in 2016.
"The scheme looks like it all leads to the unblocking of economic relations. They (Russia) want, for example, the lifting of sanctions against specific people who will be behind this or that direction, for example, Russian minerals, which they will offer them (the U.S.)," Zelensky said.
The Ukrainian president’s sanctions commissioner, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, said in late February that Russia is most interested in removing sanctions against Russian oligarchs and energy exports.
Western nations froze some 300 billion euros (around $300 billion) in Russian assets after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, with roughly two-thirds held in Europe.
According to Zelensky, Russia cannot fully unfreeze all its assets in the EU, but it could manage to release smaller sums between 2 and 5 billion euros ($2.2-$5.5 billion) through intermediaries among Middle Eastern leaders.
Previously, the president said that Moscow is pressuring foreign governments to help release the funds by offering deals involving high-tech goods such as aircraft construction parts.
The EU has already begun leveraging proceeds from frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine. Earlier on April 9, the bloc allocated another financial assistance tranche of 1 billion euros ($1.1 billion) as part of the G7 loan program for Kyiv.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Dominic Culverwell
