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.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
Smoke rises from buildings in northern Gaza as the Israeli military bombards the territory on Oct. 15, 2023. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
A Ukrainian woman was killed in the Gaza Strip as the hostilities between Israel and Hamas continue, Ukraine's Ambassador in Israel Yevhen Korniichuk said on live television on Oct. 19.
"Overnight, our activists confirmed the death of one Ukrainian citizen in the Gaza Strip. Her identity is being established," the ambassador said.
Although Israeli ambassador to Ukraine Michael Brodsky said earlier that 23 Ukrainian citizens have been killed in Israel, Korniichuk refuted this number, saying that only 18 citizens have been confirmed killed.
Brodsky noted that this still leaves Ukraine with the second highest number of civilian casualties as a result of the fighting in Israel, right behind the U.S.
Korniichuk said that the situation in the Palestinian enclave besieged by the Israeli military is deteriorating.
"We already have more than 300 people on the evacuation list. It's 308 now, but it's increasing all the time," the ambassador said, adding that the number can grow to 400 in the coming days.
About 450 Ukrainians have been evacuated from Israel as of Oct. 18, with more evacuation flights planned in the coming days.
The fighting in Israel and Gaza broke out following Hamas' attack on Israeli settlements on Oct. 7. Tel Aviv responded by retaliatory airstrikes against Gaza and a "total" blockade of the enclave. Thousands of people, mostly civilians, have been killed on both sides so far.
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.
Anastasiia Lapatina
