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.
An apartment building damaged by a Russian mortar attack on Toretsk, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Nov. 30, 2023. (Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor's Office/Telegram)
Russian forces struck multiple settlements in Kherson and Donetsk oblasts on Nov. 30, killing three people and wounding another 12, the regional authorities reported.
Russian troops dropped two aerial bombs on a residential area in Donetsk Oblast’s Toretsk at around 5:40 p.m. local time, according to the regional prosecutor’s office.
A 49-year-old resident was killed on the scene while three more civilians aged between 44 and 87 suffered various injuries and were hospitalized, the prosecutors wrote.
In the morning, Russia hit Toretsk presumably with mortars, causing injuries to three residents who came to an administrative building to receive humanitarian aid, the Donetsk Oblast Prosecutor’s Office said earlier.
An 86-year-old woman and two men aged 63 and 34 were reportedly hospitalized with shrapnel wounds, with the latter being in severe condition.
In the latest reported attack on Kherson Oblast, three elderly residents of Tiahynka, around 40 kilometers east of Kherson, sustained injuries of various severity, according to the regional administration.
Earlier the same day, a Russian drone strike on an administrative building in Beryslav wounded two men aged 22 and 37, the Kherson Oblast authorities said on Telegram.
Sadove near Kherson came under a repeated Russian attack at around 2 p.m. local time, resulting in the deaths of two men, the authorities said, after an earlier Russian attack on the village reportedly killed a 59-year-old woman.
At about 9:30 a.m., Russian troops targeted Kherson, leaving a 71-year-old resident with chest and face injuries, the regional administration reported.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Nate Ostiller
