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).
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in Kyiv on Nov. 4, 2023. (President's Office)
Ukraine and Moldova began long-awaited talks on their respective accession to the EU in Luxembourg on June 25.
"We have surpassed the barrier of promise to delivery," Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna told the Financial Times (FT) ahead of the opening of the negotiations.
"It's a decision that's merit-based," she said, emphasizing that Ukraine had reached all the necessary criteria for the talks to begin.
European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said that it was a day that "will go down in history."
"This is an important moment that strengthens us, that binds us together as one family. Our shared future starts now," she added.
The formal start to the negotiations follows an agreement by EU ambassadors last week. Officials in Kyiv and Brussels were pushing for the June starting date before Hungary takes over from Belgium as the EU chair the following month.
Ukraine received EU membership candidate status in June 2022. The European Commission recommended launching accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova in November 2023, and the European Council agreed on it a month later.
The commission then presented the negotiation framework and said the two countries are ready to begin the talks by the end of June.
Despite the agreement, Ukraine's entry into the EU most likely remains years away. Katarina Mathernova, the EU ambassador to Ukraine, said last month that Kyiv could join the bloc in 2030.
Kateryna Hodunova
