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.
"Our people are going to be going there," U.S. President Donald Trump 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.
Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, a major industrial and logistical hub, remains untouched by ground incursions but is under growing threat.
Presidential Office chief Andriy Yermak said Ukraine is "ready to discuss anything," but "only if a ceasefire is achieved."
Almost 80% of Vovchansk's buildings destroyed, damaged in Russian attacks, analysis says

Almost 80% of buildings in Vovchansk have been destroyed or damaged after Russia launched its offensive against the town, a joint investigation by Bellingcat and AFP published on Oct. 28 showed.
The once 17,000-strong town, located just 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border in Kharkiv Oblast, became heavily contested following Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Vovchansk endured a Russian occupation until the 2022 autumn Ukrainian counter-offensive liberated the town, only to face heavy fighting again after Russia began a new push in May 2024, forcing many residents to flee their homes.
Talking to journalists, the civilians recounted harrowing stories of escape from Russian occupiers, who, on occasion, deliberately targeted civilians during their attempts to flee.
According to the report, a library, a school, and a church were among the many destroyed buildings.
Some 60% of all buildings in the town were destroyed, and 18% were partially damaged, Bellingcat and AFP said, citing satellite imagery. As of late September, only 22% of the buildings remained intact.
Despite Russia’s surprise assault in May, the Russian offensive in northern Kharkiv Oblast has quickly bogged down, with Russian troops reportedly suffering heavy losses.
Since then, the intensity of fighting has decreased somewhat compared to other sectors in Ukraine's east near Pokrovsk, Vuhledar, and Toretsk.
According to the Ukrainian military, Russian tactics usually entail flattening towns and villages with artillery barrages and bombs before moving in to "capture" the ruined settlements.
For example, no buildings were left intact in the Donetsk Oblast town of Toretsk as a result of the Russian onslaught, Anastasia Bobovnikova, a spokesperson of the Operational Tactical Group Luhansk, said on Oct. 14.

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