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.
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.
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump watches as Republican senator from Florida Marco Rubio speaks during a campaign rally in Raleigh, North Carolina on Nov. 04, 2024. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine has reached a "stalemate" and "needs to be brought to a conclusion," Marco Rubio, Republican senator from Florida, said on air on Nov. 6 after President-elect Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.
According to Rubio, as a businessman, Trump will not reveal his negotiating tactic to end Moscow's war.
"You don't want to be a fan of (Russian President) Vladimir Putin to want the war to end," the senator added.
On the campaign trail, Trump has repeatedly said he could end Russia's war within 24 hours if elected president, without elaborating on how he plans to achieve it.
The Financial Times (FT) reported on Oct. 28 that Trump may aim to effectively freeze the war and reject Ukraine's NATO membership in the foreseeable future, at least "until Putin leaves the stage."
Rubio, who is reportedly on the list of candidates for the position of state secretary under Trump, described Ukrainians as "incredibly brave and strong" but there's "the reality of the war," he said.
"That doesn't mean we celebrate what Vladimir Putin did or are excited about it, but I think there has to be some common sense here. We are funding a stalemate that's costing lives... and Ukraine is going to take 100 years to rebuild with everything they're facing," Rubio said.
Trump has previously criticized U.S. aid for Ukraine, mocking President Volodymyr Zelensky as the "greatest salesman on earth."
Earlier in the day, Zelensky congratulated Trump on his victory in the U.S. presidential election, voicing hopes for "strong bipartisan support for Ukraine in the United States."
Chris York
