Russia – Ukrainian War: List of Key Events, Day 1,178 | Russia

This is Saturday, May 17th.

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Ukrainian government and Western military analysts say Russia is preparing for a new military offensive in Ukraine, as Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov discussed September's joint military exercises in Minsk on Friday and delivered new weapons to Belarus.
Oleh Syniehubov, head of the military administration of Kharkif region, said the drone attack on the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kupiansk killed a 55-year-old woman and injured four men.
The Russian Defense Ministry said its troops have occupied six settlements in eastern Ukraine in the past week. According to a statement from the ministry, Russian troops were promoted in the Donetsk region and controlled the Anadolu news agency of Tusk, Kotriarifka, myrolyubivka, mykhailivka, Novooleksandrivka and Vilne Poletlements, Tukiye's Anadolu news agency.

The Russian Ministry of Defense released a video showing Russian troops holding the Russian flag under Mykhailivka settlement.
Anadolu reported that a court in Ukraine's Russian-occupied Luhansk region sentenced Australian Oscar Charles Augustus Jenkins to 13 years in prison in a highly secure criminal colony.

Kirill Dmitriev, the investment envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin, said late Friday that the first direct Russian-Ukrainian dialogue in three years had achieved good results. "1. Maximum PW Exchange 2. Possible Ceasefire Options. 3. Understand location and ongoing dialogue," Dmitryev said on social media platforms.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that after the negotiations, about 1,000 prisoners from both countries will be in the "next future", the largest exchange since the war began in 2022.
Umerov led the Ukrainian delegation, which ended 90 minutes after Istanbul, while Putin's adviser Vladimir Medinsky held talks on behalf of Russia. The U.S. delegation is led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
Russian host Medinsky expressed satisfaction with the negotiations and said Moscow is ready for further negotiations, including a ceasefire. "We have agreed that all parties will post their views on a possible ceasefire and introduce them in detail," the meeting said.

A source from the Ukrainian delegation told Reuters news agency Russia's demands were "disconnected from reality and far beyond everything discussed before." Sources said Moscow has issued a final aatim, and Ukraine withdraws parts of its territory in order to obtain a "ceasefire" and other non-propaganda and non-constructive conditions.
Turkey's Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan opened the negotiations by welcoming the delegation and a quick ceasefire, acting as a buffer between the negotiating tables at the Dolmabahce Palace in Istanbul.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy regrets after talking about what he said he missed the opportunity to be peaceful. Zelenskyy posted on X at the European Political Society (EPC) summit in Albania, posted on X Zelenskyy on X: "This week, we have a real opportunity toward the end of the war - if not afraid to come to Turkiye."
Zelenskyy, who was not in the talks, said he was "prepared to meet directly with him (Putin) to solve all the key issues", but "he did not agree with anything".
U.S. President Donald Trump, who urged an end to the conflict, said he would meet with Putin and “we can set it up immediately” to make progress in peace talks. "I think it's time for us to do that," Trump said in Abu Dhabi, summing up his trip to the Middle East.

Zelenskyy discussed security, defense and democratic standards with European leaders on Friday in the context of war. He called with French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.
Prime Minister Stemmer said after consultations with President Trump that European leaders also agreed to conduct joint actions against Russia's joint operations against a ceasefire in Ukraine.
Steamer said after the negotiations that Russia's position was "apparently unacceptable" and that European leaders Ukraine and the United States are "closely aligning" their responses.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced new plans for additional sanctions against Moscow after Putin failed to travel to Turkiye to negotiate with Ukraine.
Amid the Russian-Ukrainian ceasefire negotiations, U.S. senators solicited calls for Congress to impose sanctions on Russia on Friday, but little progress has been made, but no vote was scheduled on a bill proposed six weeks ago, aiming to force Moscow to negotiate seriously.

Belarusian state agency Berta reported that Russia and Belarus are preparing for a new large-scale military move together. "We plan to take steps together to resist the coalition states," said Defence Minister Belousov during a meeting with Minsk-based Belarusian counterpart Viktor Khrenin, according to Berta. The coalition states combine Russia and Belarus.
He said the exercise, known as Zapad-2025, or West-2025 in English, would be the main event in combat training for regional forces. The agency said the mobility is scheduled to take place in mid-September.

Russia's economic growth slowed to 1.4% in the first quarter of the first quarter of 2025, according to the official National Bureau of Statistics.
Economists warn that a slowdown in Russia’s economy, falling oil prices, high interest rates and a downturn in manufacturing, all of which have led to headwinds. Moscow reported strong economic growth in 2023 and 2024, largely due to state defense spending on Ukraine’s conflict.
The Baltic National Council (CBSS) represents the democratic countries bordering the Baltic Sea, calling for new shipping rules to allow for stronger joint action against Russia’s so-called shadow fleet.