AnewZ Morning Brief - May 17th, 2025

Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for May 17th , covering the latest developments you need to know.

1. Russian attack on civilian bus in Ukraine kills 9, Ukraine's military says

A Russian drone strike on a civilian bus in Ukraine’s Sumy region killed nine and wounded four, Ukrainian officials reported Saturday—an attack they decried as a “cynical war crime” occurring just hours after Russia and Ukraine held their first direct peace talks in years.

2. Ukraine and Russia hold Istanbul peace talks without Zelenskyy or Putin, agree to swap 1,000 prisoners

Ukrainian and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on May 16 for their first direct peace talks in over three years, convened without Presidents Volodymyr Zelenskyy or Vladimir Putin. Hosted at Dolmabahçe Palace under the auspices of Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, the session brought together senior envoys—Russia led by presidential adviser Vladimir Medinsky, and Ukraine by Defence Minister Rustem Umerov. In under two hours, both sides reached a landmark humanitarian agreement to exchange 1,000 prisoners of war each in the coming days and pledged to develop a broader ceasefire framework.

Despite U.S. President Donald Trump’s call for a 30-day truce, the Istanbul meeting did not yield an immediate halt to hostilities. Kyiv’s delegates, many in military uniform, pressed for an instant pause, while Moscow insisted on finalizing detailed terms before suspending operations. Observers described the atmosphere as calm but cautious, reflecting Ukraine’s concern that a ceasefire might allow Russian forces to regroup and Russia’s demand for concrete guarantees of its strategic objectives. Both sides nonetheless agreed that the prisoner swap would serve as a crucial confidence-building measure.

Looking ahead, Moscow and Kyiv committed to exchanging written proposals detailing key parameters—such as ceasefire duration, monitoring mechanisms, and deconfliction zones—to guide subsequent negotiations. Turkish officials indicated that follow-up meetings would be scheduled once these documents are shared, with potential for higher-level engagement if progress is made. In Kyiv, President Zelenskyy urged Western allies to sustain strong sanctions and press for an unconditional ceasefire, while the Kremlin praised the talks as evidence of Russia’s willingness to negotiate. U.S. diplomats welcomed the prisoner exchange as a positive, if preliminary, step toward ending Europe’s deadliest conflict since World War II.

3. Albania hosted sixth European Political Community summit in Tirana

The sixth European Political Community summit opened on Friday in Tirana, Albania to forge unified strategies on European security and defence. 

Albania hosted the sixth European Political Community (EPC) summit on Friday in its capital, Tirana, marking the first time the Western Balkans held the high-level gathering. The summit convened 47 heads of state and government, along with representatives from EU institutions, leaders from Türkiye, Azerbaijan, Georgia,Armenia,the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland and Ukraine. Central discussions focused on European security and defence, with strong emphasis on sustained support for Ukraine.

The agenda also addressed the protection of democratic institutions, the response to emerging hybrid and cyber threats, efforts to boost the EU’s competitiveness, and solutions to mobility challenges, including migration management and labour market mobility.

The summit concluded with a joint press conference led by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who were designated to host the next EPC summit.

4. Ministers resign one by one as protests grow in Libya’s Government of National Unity

Ministers in Libya’s Government of National Unity (GNU) are resigning one by one amid mounting protests in Tripoli, Libya Press agency reports

Tens of thousands of protesters are marching to GNU Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh’s headquarters, demanding his resignation.

According to Al Marsad newspaper, four ministers — health, housing and construction, local self-government, and water resources — have already resigned. In addition, deputy ministers of justice, interior, and technical education are also planning to step down.

5. Azerbaijan joins international forum in Kazakhstan

Kazakhstan’s city of Aktau hosted an international forum titled “Mother. Society. Future”.

The event marked the 30th anniversary of the Assembly of the People of Kazakhstan and obtaining the status of the Cultural Capital of Turkic World for 2025 by Aktau.

The event brought together members of the National Commission for Women Affairs, Family and Demographic Policy under the President of Kazakhstan and other local institutions, as well representatives from Türkiye, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan.

The Azerbaijani delegation included Hijran Huseynova, member of the Milli Majlis, Chairwoman of the Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of Milli Majlis, and Aykhan Suleymanli, Azerbaijan’s Consul General in Aktau.

Addressing the forum, Hijran Huseynova underscored active involvement of the Azerbaijani women in the socio-political life of the country, adding that they contribute significantly to the development of independent Azerbaijan and strengthening the traditions of the Azerbaijani statehood.

She noted that family, women, and children affairs are of priority interest to Azerbaijan, highlighting the country’s fruitful collaboration on this matter in the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the United Nations, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Turkic States (TURKPA), and other international platforms.

During the event, the discussions focused on gender equality, activities of mother councils, women education, protection of women and children rights, and other topical issues.

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