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.
Aftermath of the Russian attack on an apartment building in Kryvyi Rih on March 12, 2024. (Serhii Lysak/Telegram)
The death toll of Russia's March 12 missile attack on Kryvyi Rih in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast has risen to six as a 59-year-old man died in the hospital of his injuries, Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city's military administration, reported on March 25.
Seven more people injured in the attack that hit a residential building remain in the hospital, including three in serious condition, according to Vilkul's update on Telegram.
At least three missile hits were recorded in Kryvyi Rih, one of which targeted a nine-story building and another hitting the roof of a five-story building.
"Doctors fought for his (man's) life all these days, operated on him, did everything possible, but numerous injuries were incompatible with life," Vilkul wrote on March 25.
The local authorities reported previously about three killed women and two killed men as a result of the Russian attack on the city. A total of 50 people were injured, including over 10 children, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak said.
Kryvyi Rih, with a population of around 660,000, is the second most populous city in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. It has suffered multiple deadly attacks by Russian forces since the outbreak of the full-scale war.
The hometown of President Volodymyr Zelensky came under a particularly heavy attack in July 2023, which resulted in six people killed and over 70 injured.
Chris York
