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).
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) shakes hands with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (2R) next to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff (C) and France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot before a meeting at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris on April 17, 2025. (Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The U.S. does not call for reducing Ukraine's military capabilities and is not opposed to a European peacekeeping force in the country, Reuters reported on April 23, citing two undisclosed diplomatic sources.
While these positions contradict Russia's previously expressed demands, the U.S. ceasefire proposal has reportedly also included a demand for major concessions from Ukraine.
U.S. President Donald Trump's "final" ceasefire proposal, handed over to Ukrainian officials last week, includes the U.S. de jure recognizing Russian control over Crimea and de facto control over occupied territories in the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, Axios reported.
Ukraine has already rejected the possibility of recognizing Russian hold over Crimea as legal, after which U.S. and European top ministers moved to skip the upcoming talks in London on April 23.
The meeting is still scheduled to take place on a lower level and in a closed format. The U.S. delegation will be led by Special Envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg.
Russia has repeatedly called for the reduction of Ukraine's Armed Forces, a demand strictly rejected by Kyiv and its European allies. Moscow has also opposed a peacekeeping force in Ukraine made up of NATO members, though not ruling out international monitors from "third-party" countries.
The ceasefire talks appear to be on a tight schedule, as the Trump administration has said it will abandon the effort unless tangible progress is made soon.
Reuters' diplomatic sources were skeptical about the possibility of a peace deal this week, as Trump suggested earlier. One European official reportedly said that Rubio grows concerned that Ukraine might revert to its "tough positions," making a breakthrough difficult.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Hodunova
