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).
Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (R), attends a training of Ukrainian tank crews on Russian trophy tanks on Sept. 8, 2023 in Ukraine. (Photo by Roman Petushkov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
If Russia keeps increasing weapons production and improving its technology with its allies' help, the war could expand beyond the east and south of the country, Lieutenant General Serhii Naiev, responsible for Ukraine's northern border defense, told ABC News.
"We are getting ready for that," he said. "We're building defenses, putting mines, and training our forces."
In the first few months of the full-scale invasion, Russia attacked Ukraine from the east, north, and south. Many regions, towns, and cities got firsthand experience of combat. But after Russia's quick strike failed, forcing it to withdraw troops from the north, most fighting became concentrated along the front line in the east and south, namely in Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts.
Other regions have experienced direct attacks due to Russia's waves of missile and drone strikes.
Naiev, who is also the commander of the Joint Forces, said that the importance of technology level outweighs how many munitions each side has.
The officer's observations were made during the ABC's visit to a training base for Ukraine's mobile air defense units, whose job it is to detect and intercept Russian drones in a way that's effective, flexible, and cheap.
Mobile fire groups conduct reconnaissance and engage airborne targets, boasting a key advantage over stationary air defense systems with rapid deployment, as fast as 10 minutes, and the flexibility to maneuver across varied terrain.
These units destroyed 40% of Russia's recent mass strike by 75 drones on Nov. 25, according to the Air Force.
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Rachel Amran
