#UKRAINERUSSIAWAR. Negotiations: next meeting in Istanbul. 1000 for 1000 exchanged. Lavrov: Kiev ready for agreement. Russian offensive on Kostyantynivka, Pokrovs’k, South Donetsk

 

Istanbul is likely to be the venue for the second round of direct negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, TASS source. Kiev and Washington have completed all procedures for the launch of a US-Ukraine fund as part of a fossil fuel deal, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said. As Prime Minister Shmyhal specified, the US contribution will take the form of military aid, while Ukraine will donate half of the proceeds from mining licenses.

US President Donald Trump said he is “absolutely” considering tightening sanctions against Russia. Trump said he was unhappy with Russia's attack on Ukrainian facilities during the Russia-Ukraine dialogue.

In the meantime, the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange took place between May 23 and 25. In the first exchange, 270 Russian servicemen and 120 civilians, including some from the Kursk region captured by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, were repatriated from Kiev-controlled territory, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed the first exchange of prisoners in the 1,000-for-1,000 exchange planned in Istanbul. Ukraine repatriated 390 people. The next exchanges will take place tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.

The second phase of the exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine took place on May 24. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, Moscow and Kiev carried out the exchange of prisoners according to the formula "307 for 307".

Finally, in Gomel, another 303 Russian soldiers were repatriated from territory controlled by Ukraine and in exchange, the same number of prisoners of war from the Ukrainian armed forces were handed over to Kiev, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. The 1,000-for-1,000 exchange was completed.

Russia is now ready to hand over to Ukraine a draft document on the resolution of the crisis, Sergei Lavrov said.

Financial Times: “British police are investigating alleged Russian involvement in three arson attacks on homes and properties linked to Prime Minister Keir Starmer.” Three people, including two Ukrainian nationals, were arrested for the attacks.

Europe considers buying weapons from the United States for Ukraine if Trump refuses to help - Bloomberg. The publication explains that the EU does not yet have sufficient stocks of weapons or the capacity to produce them in the quantities required, while signals from Washington indicate a possible reduction in supplies.

According to Le Monde, Ukraine has run out of missiles for the SAMP-T anti-aircraft batteries supplied to it by Italy and France, and has not received ammunition for the French Crotale air defense system for over a year, the Monde newspaper writes, citing a source. In mid-March, Corriere della Sera reported that two SAMP-T air defense batteries, supplied to Ukraine by Italy and France as part of military aid, had almost exhausted their stocks of missiles.

Berlin will consider sending troops to Ukraine only with the approval of the Bundestag, the country's defense minister says. Pistorius stressed that such a deployment would only be possible with a mandate from the EU, NATO or the UN.

According to Sky News, the Russian military has gathered around 50,000 "elite soldiers" near Kharkiv. In addition, according to Ukrainian social media sources, the Russian military is consolidating its position in the Sumy region. It is reported that Russian troops have managed to gain a foothold in the Veselivka-Zhuravka-Noven'ke-Basivka area. Attempts to enter Bilovody continue, and the situation in Loknya is also difficult. According to OSINT sources, the delivery of F-16s to Ukraine continues. And they would be summarized as follows: Denmark 12; Norway 6; Netherlands 24; United States 6. For a total of 48 F-16s, excluding losses that reach about 10 aircraft.

On May 23, Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, gave a speech at the meeting of the commission on military-technical cooperation, from which we quote some statements: “Russia continues to be among the top five exporters of weapons in the world. The main goal of the Russian military-industrial complex remains to meet the needs of the Russian army for conducting military operations. Interest in the products of the Russian defense industry is growing. Russian experience in air defense is being carefully analyzed by politicians and military commands abroad. Most of the Russian weapons and equipment are being rapidly and constantly improved, which increases their performance. Russia should consider the development of military-technical cooperation as part of the technological development of the army and navy. I have instructed to develop additional support measures for the development of military-technical cooperation. Russia must clearly plan the work of the military-industrial complex for the long term. The order portfolio for Russian military products is significant, it is about tens of billions of dollars,” RIA Novosti source.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a statement said: “The drone strikes of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in May were carried out to disrupt the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations that had been launched, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. They stressed that Moscow will respond adequately to the massive Ukrainian drone strikes.”

Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said that if military support to Ukraine continues, the buffer zone will extend to almost the entire territory of the country. He released a video showing the zone stretching almost to the border with Poland.

Dmitry Peskov in his morning press conference on May 26: “Ukrainians are attacking social and peaceful infrastructure in Russia, the attack on military targets in Ukraine is retaliation.” “There is still no agreement on the continuation of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine and their location; We need to prepare for the second round.”

From Ukraine, Foreign Minister Andrii Ivanovych Sybiha said that “work is underway to arrange a meeting between Zelensky and Putin.” The head of the communications department of the Ukrainian Air Force command, Yuriy Ignat, said that the Russian Aerospace Forces, after a long pause, launched a Kh-22 missile toward Ukraine for the first time. “Today, the Kh-22 missile was used, which has often been used in the past. There was a pause, and today we see that a Tu-22 aircraft launched a missile of this type, 950 kg," Ignat said.

And now a look at the front line updated to 15:30 on May 26. On the night of May 26, air defense systems destroyed 96 Ukrainian drones in the skies of Russia. Six of them affected the Moscow region, the Russian Defense Ministry reported. From 10:00 (Moscow time) on May 25 to 08:00 (Moscow time) on May 26, 148 drones were shot down in Russian regions. 31 drones were shot down in the Bryansk region, 16 in the Belgorod region and 11 in the Kursk region. Nine drones were destroyed in the Tula region, eight in the Oryol, five in the Kaluga region and four in the Ivanovo region. Two UAVs were shot down in the Ryazan and Vladimir regions, and one in the Yaroslavl region and in Tatarstan. Industries, some Russian military factories and fuel plants were hit. In addition to these, there were 110 on the night of May 24-25.

Between May 23 and May 26, Russia also carried out several drone and missile attacks against Ukraine. 150 geraniums were launched on the night of May 23 alone against five different Ukrainian regions. On the night of May 24, about 50 stray Russian munitions approached Kiev, among the targets: a Ukrainian Armed Forces crossing in the Raygorodok area, in the Donetsk region. Hit. According to Ukrainian monitoring sources, seven Tu-95MS and two Tu-160 strategic bombers, with a combined salvo of about 60 Kh-101 missiles, flew over Ukrainian skies. The Russian military launched a group attack at night on a Ukrainian enterprise that produces missile weapons and drones, as well as on a position of the Patriot air defense missile system and a radio-technical intelligence center source Russian Ministry of Defense. On May 25 There are already 120 Geranium ammunition wandering in Ukrainian airspace

In the Kursk border area, in the direction of Ryzhivka-Tetkino, Russian UAV operators discovered the advance of attack aircraft of the 24th separate battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, most of the Ukrainian infantry was hit, source GrV Sever. At noon in the direction of the settlement, Pavlivka an assault group of the 425th separate regiment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine advanced towards Novyi Put' but was hit by the Russians. In the direction of Sumy, fighting continues near the settlement. Bilovody, Yunakivka and Vodolahy.

Yesterday in the district in Belgorod region, a train hit an explosive device planted under the rails. The contact network of the railway tracks is damaged. Three drone attacks were recorded.

The Russian army's offensive continues in the direction of Kostyantynivka. The Ministry of Defense officially announced the liberation of Romanivka, the assault on Yablunivka is underway, Russian forces are breaking through to Popiv Yar and Poltavka.

Southwest of Pokrovs’k there are battles near Kotlyarivka, Troits’ke, Novomykolaivka, Novomykolaivka. Russian forces, according to the social sphere of reference: "are trying to straighten the front, advancing in this area towards the Dnipropetrovsk region to the west.

In the direction of South Donetsk, the Ukrainians are trying to slow down the Russian advance and have carried out 5 unsuccessful counterattacks: three in the area of ​​Bahatyr - Komar - Otradne and two near Zelene Pole. The Vostok Group of Forces is advancing northwest from the now Russian Bogatyr and north from the Otradne recently captured by the Russians. The assault on Zelene Pole is underway, Russian forces are already in the central part of the village. The battles for Novopil' continue, it is written sin line about the Russian conquest of one of the most important heights. Other sources confirm: "On May 25, the Russian army advanced through three populated areas of the Donetsk region. This is reported by Ukrainian resources via social media. "Russian forces have advanced near Zorya, Bahatyr and Zelene Pole."

On the Zaporizhia front, heavy fighting is underway in Mali Shcherbaky for the northwestern part of the village. In Shcherbaky, the northeastern part falls into the gray zone. In general, Russian soldiers on the front lines note that the area has been turned into a solid fortified area and Ukrainian "small planes" do not allow Russian military personnel to raise their heads.

Numerous attacks by Ukrainian drones in Kherson have been recorded.

Graziella Giangiulio 

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