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.
An Air Force update says that Ukraine's air defense shot down "1 UAV (unspecified type)" on July 20, 2024. (Air Force / Facebook)
Russian forces targeted Kyiv with a new unidentified drone overnight on July 19-20, according to Ukraine's Air Force.
In its morning update, the Air Force on July 20 reported that Ukrainian air defense units shot down 12 Shahed drones and "one UAV of unspecified type."
Images of the downed drone circulating on social media indicate that the new weapon does not resemble the Shahed-136 typically launched by Russian forces. The drone was reported to be flying at a low altitude of 20-30 meters.
The news outlet Defense Express obtained additional photographs and details about the unidentified drone. The UAV has "a possible wingspan of more than 4 meters, beam plumage, a push rotor, and a square fuselage," Defense Express reported, citing its sources.
Images of the drone show some similarities to the Russian ZALA 421-20 reconnaissance drone, but types of drones are not widespread and no longer appear in ZALA's current catalog, Defense Express reported.
The low altitude of the drone shot down in Kyiv also indicates that it was a kamikaze drone, Defense Express said.
The drone's fragments are reportedly still being investigated.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Chris York
