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).
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.
Ivan Shmuratko competes in the Men's Free Skating during the ISU European Figure Skating Championships at Zalgirio Arena in Kaunas, Lithuania, on Jan. 12, 2024. (Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images)
Ukrainian figure skater Ivan Shmuratko performed a routine with a blood-red stain on his shirt to draw attention to civilians killed by Russian missile attacks, Suspilne reported on Jan. 12.
The 22-year-old skater, who represented Ukraine at the 2022 Olympic Games and is a four-time national champion, performed during the men's free skating section at the European Figure Skating Championships in Kaunas, Lithuania.
Shmuratko told Suspilne that the stain shows "more than can be conveyed with words" since "people die from rockets like that, from blood."
Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images
Joosep Martinson - International Skating Union/International Skating Union via Getty Images
In the men's short program section on Jan. 10, Shmuratko also used his performance to draw attention to Russia's continued mass attacks against Ukrainian civilians.
According to Suspilne, the routine "showed the story of a child who is killed by a rocket, as well as a father who continues to live with it."
Shmuratko, who is from Kyiv, trained in France and Germany following the launch of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
He later decided to return to Kyiv, explaining that he "went back to train in Ukraine because it's my home."
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Nate Ostiller
