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.
Ukrainian artillery batteries fire on the Bahkmut frontline in Donetsk Oblast on May 28, 2023. (Photo by Muhammed Enes Yildirim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Denmark will send Ukraine 250 million Danish kroner ($36 million) worth of ammunition, Denmark's acting Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen told the Politiken newspaper on June 12.
Without disclosing many details, the ministers revealed that the package will include 2,000 artillery shells.
"Ukraine has succeeded in keeping the Russians at bay. Now, the time has come to respond in kind. For this, (Ukraine needs) to have the necessary capabilities. This also includes ammunition," Rasmussen commented.
The officials said that the package is based on a specific request by Kyiv, adding that the discussion on further support continues.
The acting defense minister reiterated Denmark's pledge to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets but refused to discuss the supply of the aircraft at the moment.
On May 19, Denmark joined the "fighter jet coalition," the international initiative to supply Ukraine with F-16s and train Ukrainian pilots.
"We are open to discussing – once we have made the training efforts – whether we should go one step further and donate F-16 fighter jets," Poulsen said when announcing the move.
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
