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).
Ukraine's IT Army targeted Russian airports last week in a major cyberattack (Photo illustration by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine and 10 partner countries established on Dec. 20 the Tallinn mechanism on cybersecurity to help protect Ukraine against cyber threats.
The announcement comes only a week after a massive Russia-linked cyberattack, which caused internet and network outages across Ukraine.
The new mechanism was formalized by foreign ministers of Ukraine, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, the U.K., and the U.S.
It aims to coordinate civilian cyber capacities to strengthen Ukraine's defense in cyberspace and long-term resilience.
"The Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the Tallinn mechanism states will coordinate efforts to mobilize additional support for the specialized cybersecurity institutions," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said.
"The group will also coordinate closely with the EU and NATO and remains open to new members."
One of the co-founders of the Tallinn mechanism, the U.K., uncovered earlier in December a lengthy campaign of cyber attacks against the British government and public.
"The UK and Ukraine are fighting side by side in the cyberwar against Russia whose appalling attacks know no bounds," lead U.K. Conflict Stability and Security Fund Minister Lucy Neville-Rolfe commented on the new initiative.
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.
Nate Ostiller
