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.
The 80th Brigade tank of Ukraine's Armed Forces fires at the positions near Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, on March 26, 2023. (Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukrainian defenders have "destroyed" nearly 4,000 Russian troops since March 27, First Deputy Defense Minister Oleksandr Pavliuk said on April 2.
According to Pavliuk, in the last week of its all-out war against Ukraine, Russia also lost 224 pieces of various weapons and military equipment, including one aircraft, 33 drones, 23 tanks, 56 artillery systems, and 39 armored fighting vehicles.
The General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces reported earlier in the day that Russia had lost a total of 174,550 troops since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022.
Colonel Oleksii Dmytrashkivskyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military defending the south of Donetsk Oblast, said on April 2 that Ukraine’s military had pushed the Russian troops back from "several positions" in the direction of Donetsk.
The Ukrainian forces "are now busy equipping these positions for defensive combat operations," Dmytrashkivskyi said on national television.
Earlier on April 1, the General Staff said that Russian forces had concentrated their efforts on conducting offensives toward Lyman, Bakhmut, Avdiivka, and Marinka in Donetsk Oblast.
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Anastasiia Lapatina
