Ukraine Agrees to Direct Talks with Russia in Istanbul + India & Pakistan Ceasefire + President Trump Heads to Middle East Region + Armor Not Dead: Australia Activates New Tank Squadron + More

For review:

1. Ukraine Agrees to Direct Talks with Russia in Istanbul. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he would agree to meet Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin in Turkey on Thursday after U.S. President Donald Trump told him immediately to accept Putin's proposal of direct talks.

2.  India & Pakistan Ceasefire. India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire Saturday after US-led talks to end the most serious military confrontation between the nuclear-armed rivals in decades, but they accused each other of violating the deal just hours later.

3. The Indian Navy massed naval forces in the Northern Arabian Sea and sent a carrier battle group, surface combatants, submarines and naval aviation to keep their Pakistani adversaries in a “defensive position,” Indian officials said this week. 

4. President Trump Heads to Middle East Region, 13-16 May. US President Donald Trump’s meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Tuesday is also set to include Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Syria’s de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, Arabic media reported Sunday.

5. Iran and the United States wrapped up nuclear talks in Oman on Sunday with no apparent breakthrough and a public standoff over enrichment, but with both sides confirming plans for future negotiations.

6. The Israel Defense Forces on Sunday evening issued an “urgent” evacuation warning to the three Houthi-controlled ports in western Yemen, ahead of potential Israeli strikes.

7. Defense News (Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo) Interview with Lithuania Minister of National Defense- Dovilė Šakalienė. 

8.  Armor Not Dead: Australia Activates New Tank Squadron. The formal establishment of D Squadron within the 2nd Cavalry Regiment (2 CAV) is a significant milestone for the Royal Australian Armoured Corps, representing the first time in the Corps’ history that a regiment has two tank and cavalry squadrons positioned in the same location.