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.
In this photo illustration, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) logo is seen on a smartphone screen. (Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The European Bank for Development and Reconstruction (EBRD) has revised its GDP growth forecast for Ukraine, lowering it from 3.5% to 3.3% for this year, according to a May 13 statement.
International trade relations have been in turmoil since U.S. President Donald Trump announced sweeping tariffs on most countries around the world. Ukraine was hit by a base 10% tariff on most imports, except for steel products that are already subject to 25% tariffs.
The EBRD previously revised Ukraine's forecast in February, lowering it from 4.7% to 3.5%. At the same time, the EBRD's Regional Economic Prospects left Ukraine's projected 2026 growth at 5% of GDP, provided successful ceasefire talks and post-war reconstruction efforts.
Since mid-2024, Ukraine has faced rising inflation and an economic slowdown, leading to Ukraine's central bank raising the key policy rate to 15.5%. As of March, inflation stood at 14.6%.
The EBRD named "electricity shortages resulting from Russian attacks, weak harvests, and acute labour shortages in the economy" as the key reasons for these developments.
"While agriculture, energy production, and trade declined, other sectors exhibited solid growth despite challenging conditions and the war," the bank said in a statement, praising the "resilience and adaptability" of Ukrainian businesses.
Ukraine was able to secure the external financing needs of its 2025 budget, receiving funds primarily from the EU's Ukraine Facility program and the G7's $50 billion loan covered by proceeds from frozen Russian assets.
The EBRD cut its forecast for 26 other nations, including Slovakia and Hungary, which are expected to be among the worst hit by tariffs.
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.
Asami Terajima
