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.
German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius speaks during a press conference at the 25th Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base on Jan. 9, 2025. (Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images)
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius arrived in Kyiv on Jan. 14 to discuss further military Ukraine as it resists Russian aggression, Deutsche Welle reported.
"It is important for me to show with this trip that we continue to actively support Ukraine. This is a signal that Germany, as the largest NATO country in Europe, stands by Ukraine's side," Pistorius was quoted as saying by German dpa news agency in Kyiv.
According to Deutsche Welle, the German defense minister held talks in Warsaw on Jan. 13 with his counterparts from Poland, France, Italy, and the U.K. on further aid to Kyiv.
“(Ukraine is) not alone, but together with five countries and many other allies," he said.
Under German Chancellor Olaf Scholz's leadership, Germany has become Ukraine's second-largest military donor after the U.S. The chancellor has nevertheless often been criticized for his cautious approach to some key issues, such as his refusal to provide Taurus long-range cruise missiles to Ukraine.
Berlin's policy may soon shift as Germany heads toward snap elections on Feb. 23, with the center-right opposition alliance CDU/CSU currently leading the polls and threatening to oust Scholz.
Germany allocated around 8 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine in 2024. The federal budget for 2025 contains only half of that, with Berlin hoping that the G7 loan can cover additional assistance.
This comes at a critical moment for Ukraine as Russia holds the upper hand on the battlefield, and Donald Trump's imminent return to the White House may lead to a decreased U.S. involvement in the war.
Kateryna Hodunova
