"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).
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.
Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov attends the 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia on June 15, 2023. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russia's GDP is expected to grow by 3.6% in 2024, matching the growth rate of the previous year, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said on April 19.
Russia's economy faced a shock and subsequent contraction after the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. As the country weathered the onset of Western sanctions and growing isolation, Russia's GDP dropped by 2.1% in 2022.
Since then, Russia has managed to survive Western sanctions through a variety of methods, and has continued to bolster its economy through oil sales, particularly to India and China.
The announcement followed comments earlier in the week from finance ministry official Lev Denisov, who said that the initial 2.3% estimate would be revised upwards due to the "strong growth of the economy" at the beginning of 2024.
The strong growth predictions raise questions about the effectiveness of Western sanctions and economic isolation. Sanctions against Moscow encompass a broad array of economic areas, including restrictions on trade, finance, technology and dual-use goods, industry, transport, and luxury goods.
The U.K. Defense Ministry suggested in November 2023 that Russia's economy was "at risk of overheating" due to increased military spending, shortages in the labor market, and growing inflation.
Russia's economy has nonetheless remained more resilient than expected, although it is increasingly dependent on fewer trade partners than before the full-scale invasion.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Igor Kossov
