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.
The aftermath of Russian attacks on Kharkiv Oblast overnight on Dec. 4-5, 2023. (Oleh Syniehubov/Telegram)
Russian forces launched attacks against 10 of Ukraine's oblasts over the past day, killing at least one person and injuring at least nine, regional officials reported early on Dec. 5.
In Donetsk Oblast, two people were injured in Russian attacks on the besieged front-line town of Avdiivka, the Donetsk Oblast Military Administration reported.
A 41-year-old man was wounded in a Russian drone strike against Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said. The victim did not require hospitalization, he added.
Russian forces launched 89 attacks on Kherson Oblast over the past day, killing one person and injuring five, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
A kindergarten, a cinema, a company building, and an animal shelter in Kherson were targeted in the strikes, the governor said.
Three drones targeted Lviv Oblast overnight, causing minor damage to an infrastructure facility, Governor Maksym Kozytskyi reported.
While the attack resulted in no casualties, the western region is not a common target of Russian strikes.
The attack against Lviv Oblast comes just one day after Russian forces targeted infrastructure in neighboring Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast. Ukrainian officials warned that Russia is likely to intensify strikes against critical infrastructure once temperatures drop.
In Sumy Oblast, aRussian mortar attack injured a person in the Velyka Pysarivka area, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
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
