Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
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.
A European Union (EU) flag next to the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Nov. 10, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The European Union is considering a gradual ban on Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) and new restrictions on Russian aluminum as part of its next round of sanctions, Bloomberg reported on Jan. 14, citing undisclosed officials.
The EU has begun drafting its 16th round of sanctions against Russia in response to its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. The bloc aims to approve the package on Feb. 24, the third anniversary of the all-out war.
The phase-out of Russian LNG could be enacted as a sanction or part of a road map presented by the European Commission next month, people familiar with the discussions told Bloomberg. Restrictions on aluminum would be gradual, with a time frame yet to be determined.
The new sanctions may also target dozens of vessels belonging to Russia's "shadow fleet" — tankers that transport Russian oil products in violation of international sanctions — and cut more banks off from the SWIFT international payment system, Bloomberg's sources said.
The draft measures are currently under discussion and subject to change before they are formally presented.
The EU is still debating whether to impose restrictions on Russian LNG via sanctions or as a set of regulations within a road map, or a combination thereof, undisclosed officials and diplomats said.
Sanctions, which may carry the most weight, require unanimous approval of all member states. This requirement has prevented the EU from banning Russian pipeline gas, as member nations such as Slovakia and Hungary remain heavily reliant on energy imports from Russia.
The EU's largest importers of Russian LNG — Spain, Belgium, and France — are not expected to block sanctions against Moscow, the officials said.
The EU imposed its first major restrictions on Russian gas, including LNG, in its 14th sanctions package in June 2024. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed replacing Russian LNG with U.S. imports in a phone call with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in November.
The 16th sanctions package comes on the heels of a joint U.S.-U.K. crackdown on Russia's oil sector and shadow fleet. The two countries on Jan. 10 imposed major restrictions on over 180 Russian tankers and a number of oil companies. Following the sanctions, 65 oil tankers around the world paused operations and remain idling offshore.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
