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.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the press at the White House on Nov. 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden's administration is preparing a funding package worth significantly more than $2 billion, which will include military aid for Ukraine and Israel, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said on Oct. 15.
Sullivan said in an interview with CBS' Face the Nation program that the White House will lead intensive talks with Congress in the following week to secure approval for the package.
The media reported earlier that the Biden Administration and leading members of Congress are preparing an aid package of $2 billion for Israel, a long-standing ally currently embroiled in a war with Hamas in Gaza.
According to NBC News, the White House seeks to bundle funding for Israel with money for Ukraine, Taiwan, and other purposes, as assistance for Kyiv is encountering opposition from far-right lawmakers.
When asked whether the new support tranche will be worth $2 billion, Sullivan said that "the number is going to be significantly higher than that."
"But it will, as I said, certainly include the necessary military equipment to defend freedom, sovereignty, and territorial integrity in Ukraine and to help Israel defend itself as it fights its terrorist foes."
The aid for Ukraine has recently become a focal point of a legislative battle in Congress, which resulted in the ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy. A hardline faction of the Republican Party grows increasingly critical of the level of support Washington provides to Ukraine.
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.
