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.
U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on Oct. 2, 2023. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to meet at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in mid-November, the Associated Press reported, citing an unnamed U.S. official.
Biden and Xi reached an agreement in principle to hold the meeting, but details on the exact date and venue are yet to be worked out, the official told AP.
The White House earlier said the U.S. and China were working towards a Biden-Xi meeting in November, but neither Washington nor Bejing have officially confirmed Xi would travel to the APEC summit.
The summit will gather representatives of 21 Pacific countries in San Francisco on Nov. 11-17.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi is now in the U.S. for his three-day visit, where he's meeting U.S. officials. Wang met Biden on Oct. 27, the latest of a series of high-level contacts between the two countries as they seek to stabilize increasingly tense relations amid Russia's war against Ukraine and the Israel-Gaza conflict.
"The President (Biden) emphasized that both the United States and China need to manage competition in the relationship responsibly and maintain open lines of communication," the White House wrote following the meeting.
"He underscored that the United States and China must work together to address global challenges."
The preparations for a face-to-face between Biden and Xi come less than two weeks after Russian dictator Vladimir Putin visited Beijing and held talks with the Chinese leader.
While China has officially positioned itself as a neutral party in the war and called for a diplomatic solution, Beijing has not denounced the Kremlin's aggression and has continued to develop close mutual ties.
Economic support from China is crucial for Moscow's funding of its war, as the Russian economy has been isolated by Western sanctions.
Abbey Fenbert
