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.
Farmers stand next to their agricultural machinery during a nationwide agricultural protest against the parliament's decision to allow Ukrainian grain imports near the village of Dolni Bogrov, 15 kilometers northeast of the capital Sofia, Bulgaria, on Sept. 19, 2023. (Photo credit: Hristo Vladev/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The opposition among Bulgarians to Ukrainian grain has been incited by Russian propaganda, the country's Transport Minister Georgi Gvozdeikov told the local TV channel bTV on Sept. 18, as local farmers launched protests against grain shipments from Ukraine.
The Bulgarian parliament voted last week not to unilaterally prolong the EU ban on domestic sales of Ukrainian agricultural products, which expired on Sept. 15.
However, the Bulgarian government asked Kyiv to withhold its grain shipments until the goods, quantities, and mechanisms for licensing regimes are fully specified, the Sofia Globe reported.
Fearing the influx of cheaper Ukrainian grain, Bulgarian farmers launched a nationwide protest against the decision, blocking the roads across the country.
According to Gvozdeikov, the profits of Bulgarian farmers actually rose in 2022 compared to the previous year even though the import of Ukrainian grain was allowed at the time.
The minister said that the opposition to agricultural imports from Ukraine has a political purpose and is meant to "destabilize the clear (political) direction that Bulgaria took."
Gvozdeikov added that Bulgaria has nothing to lose by importing Ukrainian produce and can even benefit from the resulting value-added tax (VAT).
The Euroactiv news outlet said that disinformation on Ukrainian grain has been widely spread on Bulgarian social media. According to some of the false claims, the products from Ukraine contain heavy metals, such as uranium.
The Bulgarian authorities carried out inspections and found no such issues, Euractiv reported.
In May, the Commission imposed a ban on sales of Ukrainian wheat, maize, rapeseed, and sunflower seed in five EU countries: Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Romania, and Bulgaria. The nations requested the measure due to fears from local farmers that cheap Ukrainian imports would drive down agriculture prices.
While the Commission decided not to extend the ban after Sept. 15, citing data indicating that Ukrainian imports would no longer negatively impact local markets, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary decided to continue to restrict imports of Ukrainian agricultural products.
Romania said it will also extend the restriction by 30 days until Kyiv and Bucharest can work out a precise import licensing plan.
Kris Parker
