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.
Illustrative purposes: Police officers arrest a demonstrator during a protest against coronavirus restrictions at the Freedom Square in Tallinn, Estonia on April 11, 2021. (Raigo Pajula/AFP via Getty Images)
Estonian police have arrested Svetlana Burceva, an Estonian citizen, for allegedly violating international sanctions having served as a reporter for Russian state sponsored Balt News - an arm of the Kremlin-run Russia Today (RT) news outlet, Estonian publication Eesti Ekspress reported on March 27.
The European Union imposed sanctions against RT in March 2022, following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Burceva, who allegedly wrote articles and took photographs for the Russian state media publication, was arrested on March 1 after Estonia's State Prosecutor's Office filed a motion for Burceva's arrest on Feb. 29.
The case only became public on March 27 after Burceva's lawyer motioned for her release from custody pending trial. Burceva, aged 57, has been remanded in custody since her arrest to prevent the accused from fleeing the country.
Harju County Court in Tallinn will hold a bail hearing early next month, according to ERR News.
Prior to working for Balt News, Burceva reportedly worked for Sputnik Eesti - which seized operations in 2019 afterlaw enforcement officials threatened to prosecute its staff members under EU sanctions.
Russian state sponsored media outlets have been instrumental in promoting pro-Russian propaganda since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Besides the European Union, RT was suspended from being broadcast on airwaves in countries around the world, including in Canada and Australia. The video streaming service Youtube also blocked RT and other Russian channels from generating ad revenue in March 2022.
Estonia has long been concerned about undue influence from Russia, being on the far eastern flank of NATO and having a considerable ethnic Russian minority. On Jan. 16, Estonian authorities arrested a professor with Russian citizenship on charges of allegedly spying for Russia.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Kateryna Denisova
