Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
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.
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).
The Russian modernized deep-sea vehicle AS-36 was damaged during tests in the Norwegian Sea, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) reported on July 12.
According to the agency, the crew of the vehicle's carrier, the rescue ship of Russia's Northern Fleet Mikhail Rudnitsky, "lost control" while launching AS-36 on July 1. The ship's hull and the AS-36 collided, the agency said.
"As a result of the incident, the Russian deep-sea vehicle sustained damage that does not allow it to continue testing," military intelligence wrote on Telegram.
The AS-36 has reportedly been modernized at the shipyard in St. Petersburg since 2017. Russia is currently assessing the damage and time required to repair the vehicle, the agency said.
Russian officials have not reported the incident. The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.
Ukraine's Navy said in June that the Russian anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko was on fire in the Barents Sea after an engine malfunctioned and caught fire.
Around 30% of Russia's Black Sea Fleet had been destroyed by Ukrainian forces as of December 2023, according to the Ukrainian military.
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.
Martin Fornusek
