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.
Illustrative photo: a line of trucks en route to Romania queue at the Porubne-Siret border crossing in Porubne, Ukraine, on Dec. 17, 2022. (Andrei Pungovschi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Romanian farmers have started blocking trucks at two crossings, Siret and Vicovu de Sus in Suceava County, which borders Chernivtsi Oblast, Ukraine's State Border Guard Service reported on Jan. 15.
The Siret crossing has been blocked intermittently since Jan. 13. Both the Siret and Vicovu de Sus crossings have been blocked since around midday, the State Border Guard Service said.
According to media outlet Euractiv, Romanian truck drivers and farmers joined forces on Jan. 14, slowing traffic around several cities in protest of issues such as high tax rates, long waiting times at border crossings, and slow subsidy payments.
The farmers claimed they have lost income for almost two years due to cheaper grains being exported by Ukraine, Euractiv said. Romania's Customs Authority reported in December that the country had not imported grain from Ukraine in the past six months.
Romania does play a crucial role in helping Ukraine export its agricultural products amid Russia's threats to Black Sea maritime transport, with almost 60% of Ukrainian grain exports transiting through the country.
Polish truckers have been blocking three crossings with Ukraine since November 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.
Polish farmers then launched a blockade at a fourth crossing at Medyka. They temporarily suspended the action over the Christmas period between Dec. 24 and Jan. 4, and reached a deal with the Polish government on Jan. 6, ending their protest.
Similar protests took place at the Slovakian and Hungarian borders in December 2023.
Nate Ostiller
