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).
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.
The Swedish Air Force's JAS-39C Gripen during the International Air Tattoo at RAF Fairford on July 21, 2019, in Fairford, U.K. (Photo credit: Matthew Horwood/Getty Images)
Sweden will send a new military aid package worth 2.2 billion Swedish krona ($199.8 million) to Ukraine, the Swedish Defense Ministry announced on Oct. 6.
The ministry has also asked its armed forces to assess whether Sweden can deliver Gripen fighter jets to Ukraine. Ukrainian pilots have already performed test flights on the jets.
Kyiv has been seeking to obtain modern Western fighter jets, such as F-16s and Gripens, to bolster its air force amid the ongoing Russian invasion.
The results of the report are due by Nov. 6, but domestic security considerations mean that Sweden first needs to become a member of NATO before it can give away any of its jets, according to Jonson.
NATO member states Turkey and Hungary are currently posing an obstacle to the accession of Sweden.
On Sept. 25, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said he saw no urgency to approve Sweden's NATO bid.
The following day, Reuters reported that Turkey would only ratify Sweden's accession to NATO if the U.S. approves the sale of its F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.
The new Swedish military aid package consists mainly of artillery ammunition, but also spare parts, infantry equipment, and communications equipment.
This is the 14th Swedish military aid package to Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, bringing the total value of military support donated by Sweden to 22.2 Swedish krona ($2.02 billion).
Kateryna Ilnytska
