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.
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.
The U.S. House of Representatives and Capitol Dome on May 28, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)
The U.S. House of Representatives on April 20 passed a bill that would allow the seizure and transfer of frozen Russian assets held in the U.S. to Ukraine.
The bill caters to Republican priorities, also including sanctions on Iran and a measure that could lead to a nationwide ban on TikTok. The House also approved a key foreign aid package that includes almost $61 billion to assist Ukraine.
The bills will now head to the Senate for a vote before being sent to President Joe Biden for signing.
The measure approved by the House on April 20 will enable the executive branch to seize immobilized Russian assets and use them to help Ukraine’s defense and recovery efforts, according to CNN.
The majority of the Russian central bank’s assets that were frozen by the European Union and Group of Seven (G7) are held in the EU. The U.S. holds around 5$ billion worth of Russian assets out of the total of $300 billion frozen by Kyiv’s Western and other allies.
While some partners, like the U.S., have been pushing to funnel these funds directly to Kyiv, European countries have been more hesitant, fearing economic and legal pitfalls.
In a positive step on April 16, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) voted unanimously in support of a resolution calling for seizing frozen Russian assets and using them for a new fund for Ukraine's reconstruction.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
