Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for Saturday's grand final.
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.
Remains of a Shahed 136/131 drone at an exhibition showing remains of missiles and drones that Russia used to attack Kyiv on May 12, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Oleksii Samsonov /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
The U.S.-based refractory manufacturing company Allied Mineral Products, LLC, has been added to Ukraine's list of "international sponsors of war" for its continued business in Russia, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) announced on Feb. 8.
The "international sponsor of war" list is designed to be "a powerful reputational tool" to encourage the exit of international business from Russia and reduce Moscow's financial ability to continue its war against Ukraine, the NACP explains on its website.
Allied Mineral Products manufactures a variety of refractory products, including heat-resistant materials that can be used in the production of military equipment. The NACP said that the company has maintained a production facility in Tatarstan, Russia, in an area known for the manufacturing of Shahed-type drones.
The unmanned Shahed-type attack drones are often used to attack Ukrainian cities and civilian targets.
The NACP said that Allied Mineral Products has continued to import materials to its facilities in Russia after February 2022 that can be used to produce drones, such as ceramics.
Beyond the import of these components, which the NACP estimates to be worth a total of $3.5 million since April 2022, Allied Mineral Products has also reportedly paid more than $700,000 in taxes to the Russian government in the same time period.
A total of nine U.S. companies have been designated as "international sponsors of war," including large multinational companies like Subway.
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.
Daniil Ukhorskiy
