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).
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov at the "Ukraine 2024: Independence" forum in Kyiv on Aug. 27, 2024. (Defense Ministry/Telegram)
Separate boards were set up for the lethal and non-lethal procurement agencies, a big step towards compliance with NATO standards, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said in a Facebook post on Oct. 11.
“We have finally established supervisory boards for the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the Non-lethal Defense Rear Agency (DOT),” his post read.
In a shake-up of ministry personnel earlier this month, Minister Rustem Umerov reshuffled the cards by requesting the dismissal of three of his deputies amid a debate with NATO over plans to unify military procurement into one agency.
Umerov planned to merge the Defense Procurement Agency (DPA) and the State Rear Operator (DOT) into one agency but changed his mind after a NATO statement said that the two agencies should be kept separate and two separate supervisory boards should be established.
This process of creating the supervisory boards concluded today, Umerov said in his Facebook post.
The DPA, first established in August 2022, focuses solely on procuring lethal aid, while the DOT was formed to purchase non-lethal aid such as food and clothing.
The government also appointed Serhiy Boyev and Serhiy Melnykas as Umerov deputies, and dismissed deputy Oleksandr Balanutsa from his post, according to the minister.
Umerov said that the boards would include Ukrainian and international experts, which would allow for integrating foreign experience to reform the defense sector.
“Their appointment is a significant step towards compliance with international standards. This guarantees independent control over processes, minimizes corruption risks, and increases trust in the system both within the country and on the part of our international partners,” Umerov wrote.
Those who would join both supervisory boards hadn’t been announced.
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Dominic Culverwell
