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.
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.
Illustrative image: The gas receiving compressor station of the Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in Lubmin, Germany, on Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. (Photo: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
EU officials are discussing the option of resuming purchases of Russian pipeline gas as part of a potential settlement of the Russia-Ukraine war, the Financial Times reported on Jan. 30, citing undisclosed sources.
The proposal's advocates, including Hungarian and German officials, argue that the move could give both Russia and Europe incentives to maintain a peace deal while stabilizing the continent's energy market, the outlet wrote.
The news comes almost a month after Ukraine halted the transit of Russian gas through its territory to the EU, putting an end to a scheme dating back to Soviet times. The decision has sparked protests from some EU members — Slovakia and Hungary — who continue to rely on Russian gas despite the bloc's efforts at diversifying supplies.
According to the FT, the proposal to resume Russian gas purchases has faced backlash from Ukraine's chief allies within the EU and officials from some "eastern" member states.
While most of the Russian pipeline gas flow to Europe came to a halt, European countries continue to buy Russian liquified natural gas (LNG). The TurkStream line remains the last operational pipeline connection funneling Russian gas to the EU.
Earlier this week, Hungary announced it had received "requested guarantees" from the EU on securing energy transit to European countries after threatening to veto sanctions against Moscow. Shortly after, Reuters reported that the European Commission will continue leading talks on gas supplies with Ukraine, Slovakia, and Hungary.
Before the full-scale war, Russian pipeline gas represented roughly 40% of the EU's overall purchases, with Germany being the chief buyer.
Fossil fuel exports represent a key portion of Russia's state revenue and help fuel Moscow's all-out war against Ukraine, leading to calls among Kyiv's partners to phase out the purchases completely.
The EU cut all Russian coal imports, most Russian oil imports, and over two-thirds of Russian gas imports to the EU, a Commission spokesperson said earlier in January. The EU aims to eliminate all Russian fossil fuels from its market by 2027.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who pledged to broker a peace settlement in Ukraine, urged Europe to purchase more American LNG and called for increasing oil production to push down the prices and stifle Russia's revenues, thus forcing it to the negotiating table.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
