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 aftermath of a suspected car bombing in Sevastopol, occupied Crimea, Ukraine, on Nov. 13, 2024. (Baza/Telegram)
The car bombing that killed Russian Navy officer Valery Trankovsky in occupied Sevastopol on Nov. 13 was an operation carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.
The statement came shortly after Russian authorities in occupied Crimea reported on a military service member dying following the blast.
Trankovsky was chief of staff of the 41st Missile Boat Brigade and a "war criminal who has ordered cruise missile launches from the Black Sea against civilian sites in Ukraine," the source said.
The Russian sailor died due to a blood loss after the blast tore off his legs, according to the source.
Russian Captain Valery Trankovsky. (SBU source)
The officer was allegedly responsible for the Kalibr missile strike against the city of Vinnytsia in July 2022 that killed 29 people and injured over 200 more. He also oversaw strikes against Odesa and other cities, leaving many civilians dead, the source said.
According to Russian Telegram channels, Trankovsky held the rank of captain of 1st class.
Russian media outlet Mash claims that Trankovsky had been under surveillance for roughly a week and that an improvised explosive device (IED) was placed under the driver's side of his car and allegedly detonated remotely.
Several Russian officers involved in the war against Ukraine have been found killed in Russia or Russian-occupied territories throughout the full-scale war. Most recently, Major Dmitry Pervukha was killed in the center of Russian-occupied Luhansk after his car exploded on Oct. 18.
Pervukha was allegedly involved in war crimes against Ukraine. He served in the 273rd Intelligence Center of the Russian Armed Forces.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Hodunova
