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).
A young woman reacts as she speaks to Israeli rescue workers in Tel Aviv, after the city was hit by rockets fired by Hamas from the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7, 2023. (Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Oct. 15 that the evacuation of Ukrainians from Israel continues amid escalation of the Israel-Hamas war.
To date, 208 Ukrainians, mostly women and children, have left Israel for Romania, according to Ukraine's ambassador to Israel, Yevgen Korniychuk.
Zelensky added that new flights from Israel are also being prepared to evacuate people.
At the same time, about 260 Ukrainians who are currently in the Gaza Strip cannot leave the besieged territory, just like other civilians from other countries.
Israel ordered a mass evacuation of the densely populated region in Gaza's north ahead of a planned ground operation, a move U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres denounced as "extremely dangerous" and "simply not possible."
The order has triggered an evacuation crisis, leaving 2 million civilians trapped in Gaza under heavy aerial attacks.
"Ukrainian diplomats, intelligence and security forces continue to work to help Ukrainians" escape from dangerous areas, Zelensky added.
“We are working with our partners to evacuate our citizens,” Zelensky said. “At any time, in any way, contact our diplomatic missions.”
As of Oct.13, the death toll of Ukrainians killed in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel had reached 12, Ukraine's embassy in Israel reported.
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Anastasiia Lapatina
