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.
Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko attends the 'Ukraine 2025' forum on Feb. 23, 2025, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Viktor Kovalchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine will not accept a peace agreement that would give Russia a chance to regroup for further attacks, and sees a full ceasefire as "the necessary first step," Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko said on April 23.
"As Ukraine’s delegation meets with partners in London today, we reaffirm a principled position: Ukraine is ready to negotiate — but not to surrender," Svyrydenko said.
The comments come as Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, and Presidential Office chief Andriy Sybiha visit London to discuss a ceasefire plan with U.S. and European officials.
The meeting was meant to be held at a ministerial level and address a broader peace plan, but was downgraded after U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio — and subsequently other top diplomats — canceled participation.
Rubio's move followed President Volodymyr Zelensky ruling out the recognition of the Russian annexation of Crimea as part of the deal. U.S. President Donald Trump's peace plan reportedly includes the U.S. de jure recognizing Russian control over the peninsula and de facto recognizing Russian occupation of parts of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts.
The plan, first presented to Ukraine during talks in Paris on April 17, is also said to include a ban on Kyiv's accession to NATO and only vague assurances for the invaded country.
"Our people will not accept a frozen conflict disguised as peace. We will never recognize the occupation of Crimea," Svyrydenko said.
"And if NATO membership is not granted, Ukraine will require binding security guarantees—ones strong enough to deter future aggression, and clear enough to ensure lasting peace."
Trump has said his country will abandon the peace efforts in the coming days unless progress is made. He has not offered any security guarantees to Ukraine, though the U.S. does not oppose a potential European peacekeeping mission to monitor a potential ceasefire.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
