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.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky would not meet any other Russian official apart from Russian President Vladimir Putin in Istanbul this week, presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak said on the Breakfast Show program on May 13.
President Volodymyr Zelensky presented state awards to two Polish volunteers during a stop in Lublin on Sept. 23, 2023 for their efforts to support Ukraine's war effort. (Photo: President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky presented state awards to two Polish volunteers during a stop in Lublin, Poland, on Sept. 23 for their efforts in supporting Ukraine's war effort.
"What you do is significant work—helping and supporting Ukrainians on the front lines, who are truly defending not only Ukraine but, in my view, Europe, the whole world, our common values," said Zelensky.
According to the President's Office, the volunteers were journalist Bianka Zalewska and medic Damian Duda.
Zalewska started volunteering in eastern Ukraine in 2014 collecting and delivering humanitarian aid. After Russia's full-scale invasion, she continued her volunteer work, including helping transport seriously ill children to hospitals in Poland for treatment.
Duda and a team of medics purchased medical supplies at their own expense and traveled to Ukraine to evacuate wounded soldiers to stabilization points on the front lines. He also established a fund that finances the purchase of medications for volunteer medic teams in Ukraine, the President's Office added.
Zelensky also acknowledged how much Poland has done for Ukraine since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
"I am proud that Ukraine has such a strong neighbor. I want to thank you. I want to thank the entire Polish nation, all the people who, from the very beginning, opened their families and their homes and stepped up to help. I believe that any challenges on our shared path are nothing compared to the strength between our peoples," Zelensky said.
The gesture comes after tensions between Ukraine and Poland in recent days over Ukrainian grain exports. However, Poland's President Andrzej Duda emphasized on Sept. 22 that the issue must be resolved and would not upend Polish-Ukrainian relations.
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
