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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal addresses a joint press conference at the end the 4th Summit of the Council of Europe, at the Harpa concert hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, on May 17, 2023. (Photo by HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukraine officially completes the process of joining the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), Ukraine's Finance Ministry reported on June 20.
Ukraine became Development Bank's 43rd member.
"We are confident that the membership will play an important role of Ukraine's recovery and will help us overcome the existing challenges," Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said.
He added that joining the Council of Europe Development Bank is another step towards Ukraine's integration into the EU.
The key areas of cooperation will be healthcare and housing for Ukrainian citizens.
“Integrating millions of refugees and managing the impact of temporary displacement will require sustained investment,“ the Strategic Framework says.
"Ukraine's accession to the CEB is a testament to Ukraine's confidence in the bank and its ability to support the country in its recovery, reconstruction and long-term social development," said Development Bank's Governor Carlo Monticelli.
The CEB is already helping Ukraine. In the spring of 2022, the bank allocated 5.2 millions euros from its own Migrants and Refugees Fund to support Ukrainians fleeing war in various European countries.
In the summer of 2022, the bank approved five new loans totalling almost 1.2 billion euros, of which 980 millions were allocated to finance projects to help displaced persons from Ukraine.
Ukraine's membership in the CEB happened less than a year after the country officially applied in June 2022.
The CEB's original aim was to help refugees and other displaced persons after the Second World War, later it expanded to include assistance to disaster victims, help with job creation, and improve social infrastructure.
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