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.
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a campaign event at Montgomery County Community College in Blue Bell, Pennsylvania, US on Jan. 5, 2024. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden has approved the provision of anti-personnel mines to Ukraine, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Nov. 20.
The decision is expected to help slow down Russia's advance in the east of the country.
The move follows the Biden administration's authorization of the use of U.S.-made long-range missiles to strike Russian territory. Kyiv has not officially confirmed the claims, but recent reports indicate Ukraine deployed U.S. ATACMS missiles in Russia's Bryansk Oblast.
The transfer of anti-personnel mines could be controversial, as it contradicts the Ottawa Convention, also known as the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Treaty, which has been signed by more than 160 countries. Russia and the U.S. are not signatories to this initiative.
Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Washington has been supplying Kyiv with anti-tank mines, while Ukrainian forces have been looking for opportunities to obtain infantry mines over the past three years. Moscow has used anti-personnel mines without restriction at the front line, hampering the progress of the Ukrainian military.
Biden was reluctant to supply Ukraine with mines due to doubts in his administration and the risk to civilians. Yet Washington is now concerned about Russia's rapid advance in eastern Ukraine and sees the need to halt it, U.S. officials told the WP.
"Russia is attacking Ukrainian lines in the east with waves of troops, regardless of the casualties that they're suffering," one of the officials said.
"So, the Ukrainians are obviously taking losses, and more towns and cities are at risk of falling. These mines were made specifically to combat exactly this."
One U.S. official described the mines for Ukraine as "non-resistant," meaning that they self-destruct or lose battery power to render them inactive within days or weeks, reducing the danger to civilians, the WP reported.
The official said Kyiv had committed to not installing these mines in densely populated areas.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Irynka Hromotska
