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.
European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho during a press conference of read-out of the College meeting by Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty and Security and Democracy Henna Virkkunen on the Communication on countering hybrid threats from the weaponization of migration and strengthening security at the EU's external border au Berlaymont the headquarters of the European Union in Brussels in Belgium on Dec. 10, 2024. (Martin Bertrand / Hans Lucas / Hans Lucas via AFP/Getty Images)
The European Union is rejecting any connection between the possibility of resuming Russian pipeline gas purchases and peace talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, European Commission Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho said on Jan. 30 during a press briefing.
Earlier the same day, the Financial Times (FT) reported that EU officials are discussing the possibility of resuming purchases of Russian pipeline gas as part of a potential settlement of Russia's war in Ukraine.
Proponents of the proposal, including Hungarian and German officials, argued that the move could give Russia and Europe incentives to maintain a peace agreement while stabilizing the continent's energy market, according to the FT.
"We are not making any links to peace talks for the moment. The line has been set on this. Whenever we have such talks when that moment comes, it will be with Ukraine," Pinho said.
"We do not confirm any links reported in the article this morning about any links between the transit of gas through Ukraine and any peace talks," she added.
Before the full-scale war, Russian pipeline gas represented roughly 40% of the EU's overall purchases, with Germany being the chief buyer.
The European Commission aims to eliminate Russian fossil fuels from the European Union's energy market by 2027. Despite the almost complete halt of Russian pipeline gas flowing to the EU, European countries have ramped up purchases of Russia's liquified natural gas (LNG) in 2024.
Previously, Ukraine ended the transit of Russian gas to Europe on Jan. 1, following the end of the contract. Some EU countries, including Hungary and Slovakia, still rely on Russian gas in their energy system.
Following Ukraine's termination of Russian gas transportation through its territory, gas prices in Europe rose by 4.3% to almost 51 euros per megawatt-hour. This rise is the highest since October 2023 and comes ahead of freezing temperatures forecast across much of Europe.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Paula Erizanu
