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.
First Deputy United Nations Ambassador for the Russian Federation Dmitry Polyanskiy addresses the media at the U.N. Headquarters on April 1, 2022 in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Russia will have to determine what U.S. President Donald Trump means by "deal" before entering into negotiations to end the full-scale war in Ukraine, Russia's Deputy U.N. Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Jan. 22.
Polyanskiy's remarks come shortly after Trump threatened to impose economic penalties on Russia if the country does not "make a deal" to end the war.
"If a deal is not reached, I will have no other choice but to put high levels of taxes, tariffs, and sanctions on anything being sold by Russia to the United States and other participating countries," he posted on his social media platform Truth Socialearlier on Jan. 22.
"We can do it the easy way or the hard way."
In response, Polyanskiy said Moscow would have to determine what Trump's aims are before it enters any agreements.
"It's not merely the question of ending the war," Polyanskiy told Reuters.
"It's first and foremost the question of addressing root causes of Ukrainian crisis. So we have to see what does the 'deal' mean in President Trump's understanding."
Trump has the opportunity to end Washington's current "malicious policy" against Russia, he added.
Trump has yet to present a detailed plan for peace in Ukraine, despite campaigning on promises to put a swift end to the conflict. While he frequently references his good relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, his comments on Moscow in recent days have taken a somewhat harder line.
When asked on Jan. 21 if he would impose additional sanctions if Putin refuses to negotiate, Trump replied, "Sounds likely." His team is reportedly devising a sanctions strategy to pressure Russia to the negotiating table.
Russia has thus far dismissed any reported peace proposals from the Trump administration and maintained its ambitions to fully occupy four Ukrainian regions —Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson.
Trump has said that arrangements for a face-to-face meeting with Putin are currently underway.
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.
