Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said he will meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, but said both leaders are ready to fly to Istanbul if Russian President Vladimir Putin chooses to attend the talks there.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
In an interview with French broadcaster TF1 on May 13, Macron discussed new Russia sanctions and stationing French nuclear weapons in other European countries as a deterrent against Russia.
Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for the grand final on May 17.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that a Russian delegation will be in Istanbul on May 15 for direct peace talks with Ukraine. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Putin’s foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov will likely represent Russia.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement, deepening U.S.-Ukraine economic ties and signaling expanded U.S. involvement in Ukraine's long-term recovery.
"Ukraine has initiated a coordinated campaign to vilify Hungary in order to undermine our initiative to hold a poll on (Kyiv's) EU membership," Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said.
130 Ukrainian POWs returned home to Ukraine on April 16, 2023. (Photo: Andriy Yermak / Telegram)
One-hundred-thirty Ukrainian POWs have returned home from Russian captivity on Orthodox Easter, President's Office Head Andriy Yermak reported on April 16.
"The quintessence of the Easter holiday is hope," Yermak wrote. "This is exactly what the relatives of the prisoners, who had been waiting for them for so long, felt."
The freed prisoners included soldiers, navy personnel, State Transport Special Service employees, border guards, and national guardsmen, Yermak wrote.
They were captured during fighting near Soledar, Bakhmut, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
On April 10, an additional 100 Ukrainians were freed during a prisoner exchange, including 80 men and 20 women. Nearly half of the released POWs had sustained serious injuries, were suffering from illnesses, or had been tortured.
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Daria Shulzhenko
