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.
Danish PM Mette Frederiksen speaking at the Globsec conference in Prague on Aug. 31. (Ray Baseley for the Kyiv Independent)
F-16 fighter jets donated by Denmark are "working in Ukraine," Danish PM Mette Frederiksen told the Globsec conference in Prague on Aug. 31.
In response to a question from the Kyiv Independent, Frederiksen said she was "extremely proud" the aircraft were in use, adding she had wanted to send them "from the beginning of the war."
"We had a long discussion about whether it’s a good idea or not," she added, in reference to the months-long debate among Ukraine's Western allies over whether or not to provide Kyiv with F-16s.
Frederiksen said Ukrainian pilots at the controls of the jets were "doing a good job," but added: "Unfortunately, we lost one of them recently."
Ukraine received its first F-16s at the beginning of August, a year after its allies formed the fighter jet coalition at the NATO summit in Vilnius to support Kyiv with training and aircraft.
This first batch was reported at the time to have been supplied by the Netherlands. It is not clear if these initial reports were incorrect, or if there have been further deliveries since.
When asked specifically if Danish F-16s could be used on Russian territory in Kursk Oblast, Frederiksen said her government was "not putting restrictions on F-16s as long as it’s within international law."
"I will not comment on specific operations," she added.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Francis Farrell
