According to Russian media outlet Kommersant, Foreign Minister Lavrov will not attend in Istanbul. The Kremlin has still not revealed who they will be sending instead.

🇺🇦💥 Ukrainian aviation continues to strike key Russian positions across all fronts. A mixed strike group recently targeted multiple bridges and crossings in the northern direction. One of the strikes eliminated Russian infantry at a crossing near the settlement of Zvanivka.

⚡️In the Kursk region, Ukraine’s 110th Territorial Defense Brigade reportedly neutralized 14 Russian soldiers and destroyed 4 motorcycles used in assault operations.

A Russian TOR air defense system from the 205th Motorized Rifle Brigade (unit 74814, Budyonnovsk) was hit by a drone strike near Kakhovka, Kherson region. Footage shows the aftermath of the May 11 strike.

Putin is expected to make a new public statement today, Russian media report. As of now, it's unclear what the message will be about.

Pope Leo XIV calls on world leaders to stop the wars — and offers the Vatican as a mediator.

Speaking to Eastern Church leaders, he mentioned Ukraine, the Middle East & the Caucasus: "The Holy See is open to dialogue. People want peace. War is not inevitable — weapons must fall silent."

https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2025-05/pope-leo-xiv-to-eastern-catholics-the-church-needs-you.html

Boris Johnson: "We didn’t have the balls to fully back Ukraine under Biden."

The former UK PM slammed the West’s half-measures, saying Trump at least sent lethal aid in 2018. He warned current peace talks risk ending the war on Putin’s terms — a disaster for Ukraine.

"Trump can actually deliver — if peace comes through strength," he said.

https://www.politico.eu/article/we-didnt-have-the-balls-back-ukraine-joe-biden-boris-johnson-war-russia/

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Russia wants to revive the 2022 Istanbul draft as a basis for talks — a document seen as Ukraine’s near-capitulation at the time.

Envoy Miroshnik says it could be used “with adjustments” ahead of tomorrow’s talks. But Ukraine is far stronger now — making a return to that framework highly unlikely.

🇫🇷🇺🇸 France and the US are preparing powerful new sanctions against Russia. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot will meet with US Senator Lindsey Graham in Turkey on May 14 to discuss stringent measures aimed at tightening Russia’s economic grip and intensifying pressure on the Kremlin.

https://www.lefigaro.fr/international/guerre-en-ukraine-paris-evoque-des-sanctions-devastatrices-en-preparation-pour-prendre-la-russie-a-la-gorge-20250514

The Kremlin keeps us guessing on whether Putin will attend in person tomorrow in Istanbul.

Peskov: "Putin has working meetings planned for tomorrow."

Journalist: "In Russia?"

Peskov: "Thank you very much."

Partisans have damaged key railway infrastructure in occupied Kherson region. In the village of Oleksiivka, Henichesk district, they set fire to an electric shaft on a crucial railway line used by Russian forces to transport equipment to occupied Crimea.

🇺🇦 The U.S. opposes inviting President Zelensky to the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24, with invitations currently extended only to Asian partners: Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. No NATO-Ukraine leaders' council is planned for now, though a ministerial-level meeting might take place.

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2025/05/14/fonti-nato-usa-contrari-a-invitare-zelensky-a-vertice-allaia_52904876-c26f-4788-be43-8b1ca96eaaf2.html

🇺🇦 The U.S. opposes inviting President Zelensky to the NATO summit in The Hague on June 24, with invitations currently extended only to Asian partners: Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand. No NATO-Ukraine leaders' council is planned for now, though a ministerial-level meeting might take place.

https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/topnews/2025/05/14/fonti-nato-usa-contrari-a-invitare-zelensky-a-vertice-allaia_52904876-c26f-4788-be43-8b1ca96eaaf2.html

Trump, currently on a Middle East tour, said his tight schedule won’t stop him from meeting Putin “to save lives,” hinting he may attend Ukraine-Russia talks in Istanbul. He also noted the U.S. is always considering secondary sanctions against Russia.

German and Swiss authorities have arrested three Ukrainian nationals—on suspicion of planning sabotage attacks on behalf of Russian intelligence services. The men allegedly prepared explosive or incendiary packages intended for dispatch from Germany to Ukraine, targeting freight transport systems.

https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/spionageverdacht-ermittler-fassen-mutmassliche-kreml-saboteure-a-49a53686-db16-4f46-81ff-45f5002265f9

🇺🇸🇺🇦 NATO has reaffirmed that support for Ukraine remains a top priority.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, NATO's Military Committee Chairman, emphasized during a meeting in Brussels that "support for Ukraine must remain key so that, when the time comes, Kyiv can sit at the negotiating table from a position of strength."

On May 11, Ukraine targeted the headquarters of the 40th Separate Guards Marine Brigade in Rylsk. According to reports, Deputy Commander Alexander Danilov is said to have died from injuries sustained during the attack.

Danilov, a veteran of Russia's operations in Syria, was involved in the 2022 invasion of Ukraine and was commanding a unit at the time.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen confirms the 17th sanctions package against Russia has been approved. Europe further restricts access to battlefield technologies and adds 189 ships from the "shadow fleet" to the list.

"This war must end. We will keep up the pressure on the Kremlin," von der Leyen said

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski: "Stop manipulating the facts. Consistently, the Prime Minister, Minister of Defense, and I have said: Poland will NOT send Polish soldiers to Ukraine."

🇺🇦 Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiiha has arrived in Turkey ahead of anticipated negotiations. He will hold meetings with Ukraine's partners to coordinate diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a fair peace.