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.
Fragments of the Iranian drone Shahed-136 (Russia named Geran 2), displayed in Kyiv on Aug. 24, 2023. (Illustrative purposes only) (Aleksandr Gusev/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces shot down 10 of the 17 Shahed "kamikaze" drones launched by Russia overnight, the Air Force reported on Dec. 5.
The drones were reportedly launched from Russia's Kursk Oblast and from Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia's Krasnodar Krai.
Russian forces also attacked with six S-300 missiles, targeting civilian areas in Donetsk and Kherson oblasts, the Air Force said.
Two of the ten drones were downed over Mykolaiv Oblast, one over Kherson Oblast, and one more over Vinnytsia Oblast, the Southern Operational Command reported.
Three drones targeted Lviv Oblast, causing minor infrastructure damage, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported.
Russia has attacked Ukraine with several large waves of drones in recent days. Some 23 Shaheds, as well as a Kh-59 missile, were launched against Ukraine overnight on Dec. 4.
Ukrainian officials warned earlier that Russia is likely to intensify its strikes once temperatures drop.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Alexander Khrebet
