Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is initiating talks between Volodymyr Zelensky and Vladimir Putin in Istanbul. For this, he plans to engage both the US and Russia. The window for organizing the meeting is limited—only 30 out of the previously touted “Trump’s 50 days” remain ahead of the US elections.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is experiencing political turbulence over a controversial law affecting anti-corruption bodies. President Zelensky announced he heard public concerns, prompting the Verkhovna Rada to postpone the vote for a week. MPs have begun publicly apologizing for votes that could damage pro-Western reforms.
On a positive note, Germany has delivered a Patriot air defense system and interceptor missiles to Ukraine, confirmed after high-level meetings with the US. Berlin also plans to provide five more Patriot batteries to Ukraine in cooperation with Washington. This is part of broader military support for Kyiv.
Zelensky also tasked officials with selling drones to the US—potentially up to $30 billion worth—and appealed to the EU for support in paying military salaries. At the same time, Ukrainian forces faced a temporary Starlink outage, though connectivity was swiftly restored.
Internally, tension persists between anti-corruption agencies, the President’s Office, and connected business interests. Investigations are underway amid suspicions of leaks, with reports of searches at the homes of presidential advisers and alleged informants cooperating with anti-corruption authorities.
Against this backdrop, reports emerged about Ramzan Kadyrov nearly drowning in Turkey, leading to his hospitalization—a story widely discussed and joked about on social media.
The Ukrainian public is actively responding to political developments, with calls for donations to support drones for the front and to aid the armed forces.
