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.
The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, speaks upon his arrival at the 'Wake Up, Spain!' forum on March 30, 2023, in Madrid, Spain. (Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Russia has "once again" blocked 50 ships carrying "urgently needed" Ukrainian grain in the Black Sea, European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said on April 17.
He added that the bloc would "continue facilitating exports through the EU Solidarity Lanes" on Ukraine-EU land borders, which "have brought 25 billion tons of grain to the world."
After starting its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia blocked Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea, hindering Ukraine from exporting its grain and forcing Kyiv to start exporting overland through neighboring countries.
Earlier the same day, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry reported that Russia had blocked inspections of ships transporting Ukrainian grain in Turkey's waters for the second time, endangering the functioning of the "grain deal."
The UN and Turkey-brokered deal, first signed in July 2022, has been paramount in stopping global food prices from soaring.
On March 18, Infrastructure Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov announced the extension of the grain deal, allowing Ukraine to export millions of tons of agricultural products through the Black Sea for 120 more days.
The news came after Russian officials repeatedly threatened to back out of the deal, saying they would renew the deal only if certain conditions were met and that they were "ready" to extend it for only 60 days.
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Anastasiya Gordiychuk
