Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for Saturday's grand final.
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.
A Bulgarian national flag flies on a government building in Sofia, Bulgaria, on Friday, March 29, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Oliver Bunic/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Bulgarian Parliament's Committee on Culture and Media voted down a bill on Sept. 19 proposed by its chairperson belonging to the Vuzrazhdane (Revival) Party to create a registry of "foreign agents."
Founded in 2014 and described by some as pro-Russian, Revival came in third in Bulgaria's snap parliamentary election in June, securing 41 seats in the 240-seat parliament. Revival has supported maintaining Bulgaria's "deep ties" with Russia.
Despite Revival's claims that its proposed foreign agent law is similar to U.S. law, in both Bulgaria and Russia, individuals working as "foreign agents" would be barred from working in educational institutions and certain ministries and "must mark…any material (they) create with a large inscription on the title page — foreign agent. Just like in Russia," public broadcaster Bulgarian National Television (BNT) said.
A similar foreign agents law was signed into law in Georgia by the ruling Georgian Dream party in June and has been criticized for enabling authorities to monitor NGOs and media outlets that receive more than 20% of their income from abroad.
Washington and Brussels have denounced the bill as incompatible with Western values, and the European Council froze Georgia's EU accession process in response to its passage.
Initially a hesitant partner, Bulgaria has become increasingly supportive of Kyiv as the war has progressed.
Bulgaria has provided Ukraine with a variety of aid since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, but pro-Russian sentiment has remained strong in the country.
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Peter Leonard
