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.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks to the U.N. Security Council on the war in his country in a meeting during the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Sept. 20, 2023, in New York City. (Photo credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky reemphasized the need for UN Security Council reforms on UN Day, which commemorates the UN Charter's entry into force on Oct. 24, 1945.
During President Zelensky's visit to the UN last month, he proposed several reforms to the UN Security Council, including restrictions on the veto powers of its permanent members, arguing that Russia has been abusing its veto rights.
The President suggested the UN General Assembly would be able to overcome the veto with two-thirds of the votes, "which will reflect the will of the nations from Asia, Africa, Europe, the Americas, and the Pacific Ocean region."
Ukraine's head of state posted a short statement on Twitter outlining three of Ukraine's proposed reforms to the UN Security Council, from veto reform, to expanding the number of seats on the UN Security Council, as well as "guarantees of collective security."
The UN has failed to help Ukraine and Russia broker a renewal of the Black Sea Grain Initiative and Ukraine is instead operating a humanitarian corridor to bypass Russia's de facto blockade.
Last month, the UN's top trade chief told Reuters that the corridor is a move in the right direction, but should not replace a larger deal to resume shipping through the Black Sea.
After Russia unilaterally backed out of the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July 2023, the shipment of grain through the Black Sea effectively stopped until Ukraine announced the opening of a temporary corridor on Aug. 10.
The corridor was primarily meant to allow passage for ships stuck in the Ukrainian ports of Chornomorsk, Odesa, and Pivdennyi since the start of the full-scale invasion.
The route is not without risk to those who use it. The Russian Defense Ministry has said that all vessels sailing to Ukrainian ports would be considered "potential carriers of military cargo" and, therefore, legitimate targets.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sept. 23 that renewing the grain deal was not off the table, but rejected recent proposals by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
Alexander Khrebet
