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.
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko delivers a speech in the session hall of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Oct. 6, 2023, in Kyiv. (Andrii Nesterenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine seeks U.S. support in regaining control of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and launching joint energy projects, Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on April 16, Ukrainian state news agency Ukrinform reported.
"We have a common interest with the United States to bring the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant under Ukrainian control and start the operation of this nuclear power plant," Halushchenko said at an Atlantic Council discussion.
"It can bring new opportunities for cooperation between us, for example, when it comes to electricity exports."
The plant, the largest in Europe and among the top 10 worldwide, has been under Russian occupation since the early days of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
Halushchenko suggested that restarting the plant could play a key role in Ukraine's long-term reconstruction.
"We will need more electricity for any project that may be implemented in Ukraine, together with the U.S. We need more electricity to rebuild the country on a large scale," he added.
The minister also emphasized that allowing Russia to maintain control of the plant would be a "total disaster" for global nuclear safety.
"If we allow the Russians to keep control of Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, even without resuming its operations, it will be a total disaster for everything the world has achieved in the development of peaceful atom."
Halushchenko also raised alarm over repeated Russian attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure and their implications for nuclear security.
Since August 2024, over 150 incidents have been recorded in which Russian missiles or drones flew near or over Ukraine's nuclear sites, including Zaporizhzhia.
Though a narrower agreement was reachedon March 25 to suspend attacks on energy infrastructure, that truce has largely failed to hold. Both Ukraine and Russia accuse each other of violating the energy ceasefire.
U.S. President Donald Trump floated the idea of joint U.S.-Ukrainian ownership of Ukraine's nuclear plants during a March 19 call with President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling it the best protection for Ukraine's critical infrastructure.
Russia has rejected any possibility of transferring control or entering into joint operations. On March 25, the Russian Foreign Ministry claimed that the plant is "a Russian facility" and ruled out its return to Ukraine or cooperation with third parties.
Russia continues to claim ownership of the plant based on its illegal annexation of Zaporizhzhia Oblast in 2022, even though Ukraine retains control over the regional center and large parts of the territory.
The annexation followed staged referendums widely condemned by the international community.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
