"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.
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.
Deputy Spokesman of the U.N. Secretary General Farhan Aziz Haq conducts press conference on June 14, 2021 at U.N. Headquarters. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Farhan Haq, deputy spokesman for the U.N. Secretary-General, commented on the July 30 drone attack against the "Moscow-City" business center in the Russian capital.
"Well, we don't have any first-hand information on who is responsible for this attack. But certainly, we are against any and all attacks on civilian facilities, and we want them to stop," Haq told a press conference.
According to Russian media, the offices of several Russian ministries were located in the building damaged in the strike. The same skyscraper was reportedly hit in another drone attack overnight on Aug. 1.
In a video message on July 30, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it's natural and fair that the war is returning to Russian territory.
"Ukraine is becoming stronger. The war is gradually returning to Russian territory – to its symbolic centers and military bases, and this is an inevitable, natural, and absolutely fair process," said Zelensky.
According to independent Russian media outlet Verstka, over the last three months, Moscow and the region were attacked by at least 28 drones, 12 of which caused damages.
Russia usually blames Ukraine for attacks on its soil, while Kyiv rarely takes responsibility for them.
Since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale invasion, Russian troops have regularly struck residential buildings and civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, causing large-scale damages and claiming the lives of civilians.
According to the United Nations human rights agency, Russia's war against Ukraine has killed at least 9,369 civilians and wounded at least 16,646 from Feb. 24, 2022, to July 30, 2023.
The actual number of casualties is likely considerably higher since the information from places with ongoing hostilities is delayed. Also, many reports of civilian casualties still need to be verified.
Dinara Khalilova
