These are important events on the 1,176th day of the Russian Ukrainian War.
This is where things stand on Thursday, May 15th.
Fineting
The Russian missile strike targeted Smie in the northeastern part of Ukraine and killed at least three people, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday. Kherson governor Oleksandr Prokudin said from Wednesday until early Thursday, about 35 regions, including the city of Kherson, were under Russian drone “terrorism” and at least nine injured artillery fire. The Russian Ministry of Defense said the air defense system had overnight defeated two Ukrainian drones in the Rostov and Belgorod regions.
Diplomacy
Ukraine and Russia will hold in-person meetings in Torkiye on Thursday for the first time since the war began in 2022. Both are expected to discuss the possibility of a 30-day ceasefire and prisoner exchange. Russian President Vladimir Putin was not listed in the delegation for Moscow’s talks despite suggesting last week’s discussions. Foreign Minister Mikhail Garzin, Deputy Minister of Defense Alexander Fomin and Director of Russia’s GRU Military Intelligence Bureau, Igor Kostukov is part of the Russian delegation. After the Kremlin announcement, US officials said President Donald Trump would not be attending the meeting either.
Estonian Foreign Minister Margas Tsekna said Putin’s sending a low-level delegation to Torkie for a speech was “like a slap in the face.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his Ukrainian counterpart Andriy Sibiha and met with the bystanders of the NATO summit in Antalya, Torkiye.
NATO Chief Mark Latte said he was “cautiously optimistic” about Ukraine’s progress towards peace, but he said it would be up to Russia to take the “necessary next step.” “[If] The Russians are willing to play the ball, and he said that not only the Ukrainians are doing this, they will be able to reach several breakthroughs in the coming weeks.
Latvian Foreign Minister Baiba Blaise said there was no indication that Russia wanted peace in Ukraine. “Damping down Russia’s military capabilities is the most direct and cheapest way to achieve peace in Ukraine,” he told reporters in Torkiye.
On Wednesday, the European Union approves a new sanctions package on Russia and closes the “shadow” oil fleet. German Prime Minister Friedrich Merz said it should not be a deal for Ukraine, a “ordered peace” from Russia.
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