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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, Russia, on March 26, 2024. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
The U.S. and U.K. are investigating several cryptocurrency transactions valued at more than $20 billion that passed through a Russian-based virtual exchange, Bloomberg reported on March 28.
The transactions were reportedly made through the Russian-based exchange group Garantex using the dollar-pegged cryptocurrency Tether. The U.S. and U.K. have sanctioned transfers through Garantex on suspicion of enabling financial crimes and illicit transfers to Russia.
Western countries have launched several rounds of sanctions against Russia and individuals associated with Vladimir Putin since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in hopes of depleting sources of revenue believed to help fund the war.
More recently, the EU adopted a package of sanctions targeting an additional 106 individuals and 88 entities involved in Russia’s aggression against Ukraine. The list includes companies from India, Sri Lanka, China, Serbia, Kazakhstan, Thailand, and Turkey.
The EU also subjected 27 entities to tighter export restrictions of dual-use goods and technologies that might contribute to the technological development of Russia’s military sector and imposed export restrictions on components used to develop and produce drones.
Ukraine's allies also froze around $300 billion in Russian assets back in February 2022, when the full-scale invasion began.
Allies have urged European leaders to use these funds to fund Ukraine's post-war reconstruction efforts. Debates over the legality of channeling these funds into Ukraine have prevented allies from transferring the money, but ongoing delays in U.S. military aid have prompted heightened urgency.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
Anne O. Krueger
