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.
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.
U.S. President Joe Biden addresses the nation from the Oval Office of the White House on Oct. 19, 2023. (Jonathan Ernst - Pool/Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden would likely veto a bill put forward by House Republicans to provide aid to Israel without including funding for Ukraine and other priorities, The Hill reported on Oct. 31, citing the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
"This bill is bad for Israel, for the Middle East region, and for our own national security," the OMB said.
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also implied that the White House would oppose the plan, though not saying explicitly whether Biden would use his veto powers to block it.
"I think we've been very clear... how deeply concerning this House Republican bill is and how it doesn't meet our national security means and meet needs," Kirby said at a press briefing.
"And as commander in chief, the president's never going to do anything that doesn't meet our key national security needs."
The White House's $106 billion funding bill, which includes $14.3 billion for Israel and $61.4 billion for Ukraine, among other items, has been held up for weeks by infighting in the Republican-led House of Representatives.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, a close ally of ex-President Donald Trump, unveiled a $14.3 billion standalone spending bill only for Israel. It also included cuts to the U.S.'s Internal Revenue Service (IRS), which would make it difficult to gain support from Democrats.
The White House responded by criticizing the proposed bill for "politicizing national security."
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and State Secretary Antony Blinken voiced similar positions in their comments to the Senate, pushing Congress to take a broadly unified position and approve the full bill.
The proposal by Johnson and other Republicans is likely to encounter opposition in the Senate, as leaders of both parties in the upper chamber voiced doubts about the plan. To become law, the bill would have to pass both the House and the Senate and be signed by Biden.
Anastasiia Malenko
