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 Ukrainian, the EU and other EU countries' flags in front of the European Parliament on July 28, 2023 in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
European Union countries have agreed to a 12th sanctions package against Russia, moving to ban the import of Russian diamonds among other measures, the European Council announced in a statement on Dec. 14.
"The European Council welcomes the adoption of the 12th package of sanctions," the statements reads.
The measure will take effect Jan. 1 and include a ban on Russian diamond imports, as well as a phased ban on diamond imports from third countries beginning in March, in alignment with Group of Seven (G7) nations.
Additional measures include strengthening the evidence needed for companies who claim to adhere with the G7 Russian oil price cap. The package also includes steps to stop Russia from getting hold of dual-use technologies, meaning companies dealing with certain products will need to ensure partners sign contracts preventing them from reselling goods to Russia.
EU nations previously agreed to the new sanctions package on Dec. 13, with the exception of Austria, who claimed it needed time to conduct a final legal examination of the package before giving its approval.
According to Reuters, sources familiar with the matter claimed that Austria had been attempting to have Raiffeisen Bank International, the biggest Western bank in Russia, removed from a Ukrainian blacklist as a condition for signing off on new European Union sanctions against Russia.
Raiffeisen Bank International continues to appear on Ukraine's blacklist.
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.
