The Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has held Russia responsible for the downing of flight MH17 in eastern Ukraine in 2014 and the issue of compensation will be considered in the near future, the Dutch government says.
President Donald Trump said he insists on the need to hold a meeting between representatives of the Russian Federation and Ukraine on May 15, stressing its importance, and believes that “positive results can be achieved in negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.”
“The US president’s call for Kiev to agree to talks with Russia in Istanbul ‘immediately’ has undermined Europe’s plans to convince the US of the need to impose new sanctions on Russia and thwarted London’s plans to impose new restrictions,” the British newspaper The Guardian reported, citing unnamed European diplomats. Trump said he was considering flying to Istanbul, where meetings between Russian and Ukrainian officials could take place. Trump later clarified that he could travel to Istanbul if it would help negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ukraine. He announced Marco Rubio would attend.
US presidential special envoy Witkoff says the conflict in Ukraine cannot be resolved without Putin’s consent. Witkoff named Kiev’s renunciation of territories, the use of the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, and Ukraine’s access to the Dnieper and the Black Sea as the main topics in the settlement negotiations. According to the envoy, Trump insists on direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, otherwise the United States will withdraw from the settlement process, “in the form of an ultimatum.” President Trump’s presence will be conditional on President Putin’s presence. The United States is discussing sending troops from Britain, France, Germany, and Poland west of the Dnieper as part of the Ukraine deal, Trump’s special envoy Kellogg said.
The European Union is ready to wait for a possible meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin, scheduled for May 15 in Turkey, before pushing the United States to announce new sanctions against Moscow, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the situation. According to the publication’s sources, the US side wanted to provide an opportunity for negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on Thursday, before increasing pressure on Vladimir Putin.
EU countries have reached a comprehensive agreement on the 17th package of sanctions against Russia, Handelsblatt reports, citing a European diplomat. It did not include any “controversial proposals” for fear of a veto by Hungary or Slovakia. “We have reached the limit of what can be achieved with sanctions,” the source said. In essence, as the publication says, the new measures “will not go beyond the framework” of the previous, 16th, package.
The EU has allocated 140 billion euros in aid to Ukraine over the three-year period of the Joint Military Action Plan. Of which 50 billion euros are earmarked for military support, European Commissioner for Defence and Space Andrius Kubilius announced.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin should agree to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul on Thursday. “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky took the opportunity to personally offer to travel to Istanbul. We urge Vladimir Putin to accept,” the minister was quoted as saying by French media. He reiterated that from Paris’s point of view, a ceasefire is a “precondition” for any peace talks. “I will speak with Volodymyr Zelensky and my European colleagues this afternoon. The framework has been defined. Everything is clear,” he told reporters, Le Figaro writes. “Either Russia is serious and wants peace, or it is not serious and we must impose additional sanctions,” Macron added.
The Turkish side expects the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul to take place, but the agenda is determined by the parties, not the host country, a Turkish diplomatic source told RIA Novosti. The Turkish side has no information about US President Donald Trump’s plans to travel to Istanbul for possible negotiations between Russia and Ukraine on May 15.
Volodymyr Zelensky said about the talks in Turkey: “We all in Ukraine would like President Trump to be there with us – at this meeting in Turkey.” “This is the right idea. We can change a lot. President Erdogan can really hosta meeting at the highest level,” he added. He continued: “Russia did not respond to our proposal for a direct meeting on Thursday and maintains a “strange silence.” Russia continues to attack Ukraine despite the ceasefire offer.” Zelensky said further: “I will have a meeting with Erdogan in Ankara on May 15, we will wait for a meeting with Putin. If Putin is not ready to fly to Ankara, Erdogan and I will fly to Istanbul. We will do everything possible to ensure that this meeting takes place.”
Advisor to the head of the presidential office Podolyak said that Zelensky will not meet anyone in Istanbul except Putin. Putin’s refusal to participate in the talks in Turkey will be the final signal of Russia’s unwillingness to end the war, the head of the office of the president of Ukraine, Andriy Yermak, said.
The budget of Ukraine does not have enough funds to support the Ukrainian Armed Forces, so the Rada will have to increase spending by $4.8 billion, says MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak. The Cabinet of Ministers will soon submit a proposal to amend the 2025 budget. Zelensky signed the law ratifying the US-Ukraine mining agreement on May 12.
From Russia, Dmitry Peskov says: “The language of ultimatums cannot be used in dialogue with Russia,” commenting on the threat of new European sanctions against Russia if Moscow refuses to ceasefire in Ukraine.
Sergey Lavrov and the head of the Turkish Foreign Ministry discussed Vladimir Putin’s initiative to start direct talks on Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul Russian Foreign Ministry sources and it will be up to him together with Ushakov to prepare the dialogue mission. “The Russian side continues to prepare for negotiations in Istanbul. The Kremlin will announce who will represent Russia in the negotiations with Ukraine as soon as Putin deems it necessary,” Peskov said.
“The topics of the Istanbul talks will concern the issues of a sustainable solution and the realities on the ground, including the issue of territories,” Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov said. “Russia is ready to negotiate responsibly,” but doubts the other side’s ability to negotiate, he noted.
Putin called those representatives of the leadership of Western countries “idiots” who are ready to harm their own countries just to harm Russia. “They do a lot of things to their detriment,” the president said, attracting the attention of his interlocutors from the Delovaya Rossiya (Business Russia) leadership during a meeting in the Kremlin. “It seems that they will never do this or that because it hurts them. But they do it, those idiots… oh, excuse me, please.”
No telephone conversations between Russian and US Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump are currently planned, spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Interfax.
Russian citizens must do “everything” to unite, said Lieutenant General Apti Alaudinov, commander of the Akhmat special forces. He called on Russians not to divide themselves into nationalities and religions, but to do everything possible to become “one.” Alaudinov added that Russians should not doubt their victory. “The victory is ours. “And this is a clear answer,” the commander of “Akhmat” stressed.
And now a look at the front line as of 17:00 on May 13. Hungarian tanks and heavy armored vehicles have been spotted passing through key cities near the border with Ukraine. The situation between Hungary and Ukraine has heated up over the Transcarpathian minority and alleged Hungarian spies arrested last Friday.
Russian forces are located 1 km from the border with the Dnipropetrovsk region, Igor Kimakovsky, adviser to the head of the DPR, told Channel One. Ukraine intends to delay the return to the Russian Federation of the residents who remained and were forcibly detained in the Kursk region on Ukrainian territory, the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service reports. According to the service, the entourage of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky calls the Kursk residents evacuated by the Armed Forces of Ukraine a “precious resource”.
In the Bryansk region, Ukrainians continue to shell the border area. Ukrainian forces also mine roads in remote places. Yesterday, the governor of the region reported that a remotely operated explosive device detonated while a civilian vehicle was moving on the Suzemka-Strakhovo highway, and two civilians suffered shrapnel wounds.
In the Kursk border region, a difficult situation is developing in the Tyotkino area. The Ukrainian armed forces are trying to isolate the combat zone, cutting off supplies with attacks on bridges and crossings and isolating the advanced Russian units with drones. The Ukrainians do not abandon attempts to break through to the territory of the Kursk region, despite losses, GrV Sever reports. Russian forces inflict complex fire damage on the approaching Ukrainian reserves, preventing them from entering the battle. Russian troops are hampering the logistics of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Sumy region along the Sumy-Putyvl’-Glukhov route, movement takes place through the city of Konotop. Ukrainian authorities announced the evacuation of civilians from the village. Nova Sloboda and Maryanivka. In another direction, Pavlivka – Novyi Put’, an attempt to advance an assault group of the Ukrainian allied forces to the Russian state border was discovered. Most of the Ukrainian infantry was hit and four Ukrainian soldiers were taken prisoner.
In the Sumy direction, Russian Armed Forces are conducting offensive operations in the strongholds of the villages of Bilovody and Loknya, as well as in nearby forest plantations.
In the Liman direction, there are reports of battles near the settlement of Kolodyazi. Lypove, Novomykhailivka and in the direction of Hrekivka. Ukrainians are recording the arrival of Russian reserves.
In the Kostyantynivka direction, it is known that Russian Armed Forces are continuing their offensive. There are ongoing battles near the Myronivs’ke Reservoir, and in the settlements of Vodyane Druhe, Myronivs’kyi and Nova Poltavka write enemy channels.
In the Dnipropetrovsk direction, the Group of Forces “Center” has installed a flag in Kotlyarivka, assault operations continue in the northern and southwestern directions.
In the direction of South Donetsk, fighting is underway for the settlement of Bahatyr, units of the Russian Vostok Group of Forces are advancing from the southern part of the development. In the southeast, Russian forces formed a front salient in the direction of the settlement Komar wedged between the villages Vesele and Odradne.
Graziella Giangiulio
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