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.
U.S. and European officials held talks on May 12, during which Washington made it clear that it wanted to allow talks between Russia and Ukraine before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin, sources told Bloomberg.
According to Steve Witkoff, the key topics in the peace discussions are the fate of the five partially or fully occupied Ukrainian regions, the status of the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, and Ukraine's access to the Dnipro River and the Black Sea.
Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
Russia attacked Ukraine with drones and guided bombs during the night, targeting multiple regions after the May 12 deadline for an unconditional ceasefire expired.
"Only member states can take out loans within the 150 billion euros instrument, but they can use these funds for joint procurement with Ukraine," EU Defense Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa holds a speech at the National Dialogue Conference on February 25, 2025, in Damascus, Syria. (Ali Haj Suleiman/Getty Images)
U.S. President Donald Trump is considering easing sanctions on Syria as its leader, President Ahmed al-Sharaa, proposed signing a minerals agreement and building a Trump Tower in Damascus, the Times reported on May 12.
Al-Sharaa is reportedly offering a deal that would give U.S. companies access to Syria's natural wealth, reminiscent of the minerals agreement Washington recently signed with Kyiv.
The new Syrian leader, who assumed power following the ousting of Russian-backed dictator Bashar al-Assad in a rebel offensive last December, has moved to end Syria's years of isolation and crippling international sanctions.
Al-Sharaa, a former Al-Qaeda affiliate who remains designated as a terrorist by the U.S., is reportedly seeking a meeting with Trump during the latter's visit to Saudi Arabia this week, though no such meeting has been confirmed.
Trump suggested on May 12 that he might ease some of the Assad-era sanctions imposed on Syria, explaining he wants to give the country a "fresh start."
The U.S. and Ukraine signed the minerals agreement on April 30 after months-long, contentious negotiations. Initial plans to sign the deal in late February even collapsed following a heated White House argument between Trump and President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The deal establishes a Reconstruction Investment Fund jointly managed by Kyiv and Washington and gives the U.S. special access to projects developing Ukraine's vast deposits of critical minerals, including lithium, titanium, and rare earth elements.
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.
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