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.
Trucks stand in line in Medyka, Poland, amid an ongoing blockade by Polish truckers on Nov. 23, 2023. (Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Polish truckers ended their blockade of Korczowa-Krakovets and Hrebenne-Rava Ruska checkpoints — two of the three border crossings with Ukraine that have been blocked by the truckers’ protests since November last year, Ukraine’s Border Guard Service reported on Jan. 16.
Earlier the same day, Polish Infrastructure Minister Dariusz Klimczak announced that Warsaw had reached an agreement with the Polish truckers who would end their blockade of the border until March 1.
Discussions are reportedly ongoing, the success of which will determine whether the truckers resume their protest after March 1.
According to Klimczak, the protesters also agreed to end the blockade of the Yahodyn-Dorohusk checkpoint, a key crossing for cargo vehicles at the Ukrainian-Polish border. The Border Guard Service provided no information on the situation at that checkpoint.
Almost 700 trucks are currently waiting in line to enter Ukraine at Korczowa-Krakovets and Hrebenne-Rava Ruska, the Border Guard Service wrote.
“Registration and passage of cargo vehicles across the border in both directions is carried out as usual. The border guards work together with the employees of the control services to ensure the passage of the maximum number of trucks.”
Polish truckers started blocking three crossings with Ukraine on Nov. 6, 2023, in protest of the EU's liberalization of transit rules for Ukrainian truckers, causing massive lines on the border and negatively impacting Ukraine's economy.
The truckers launched the demonstration on the grounds that the influx of Ukrainian drivers following Russia's full-scale invasion harmed their livelihoods. Ukrainian officials and industry representatives deny the accusations.
The blockade left thousands of Ukrainian truckers stranded in long lines for weeks in freezing temperatures.
A fourth border crossing, at Medyka-Shehyni, was temporarily blocked by Polish farmers, who suspended their blockade after reaching a deal with the government on Jan. 6.
Dinara Khalilova
