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.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
U.S. President Donald Trump's special envoys, Steve Witkoff and Keith Kellogg, will travel to Istanbul for possible peace talks between Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported on May 13, citing three undisclosed sources.
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.
Russian troops at the Saky airfield in occupied Crimea on April 6, 2021. (Satellite image: Maxar Technologies)
Russia is using only five military airfields in occupied Crimea, two of which were hit by the Ukrainian military and are now functioning "at a minimum," Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk, said on Aug. 13 on national television.
Following the annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, Russia began using local airfields to station its air force and launch attacks on Ukrainian cities.
The occupied peninsula has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drone and naval strikes, forcing Russian forces to withdraw much of its naval power and strengthen its air defenses.
According to Pletenchuk, two of the five airfields no longer have the load they had at the beginning of the full-scale invasion because they "suffered damage."
The spokesperson added that Russia could have used more airfields on the occupied peninsula, but it uses only five of them.
Pletenchuk did not specify the airfields used by Russian troops in occupied Crimea and which of them were damaged by Ukrainian forces.
The General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed on July 26 that Ukraine had struck the Saky airfield.
Radio Liberty's (RFE/RL) Schemes investigative project published satellite images of the airfield after the strike.
The July 28 images showed dark spots on the air base where Su-30 aircraft were stationed, which may indicate a fire and explosions.
The Russian government did not comment on the strike on the airfield in occupied Crimea.
The Saky military airfield in Novofedorivka has been hit several times by missiles since the beginning of the all-out war in 2022.
The 43rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, as well as Su-24 bombers and Su-30 fighters, are based there.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Asami Terajima
