"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.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
The European Union flag is seen next to the building of the Delegation of the European Union in Russia on Feb. 23, 2023. (Photo by Vlad Karkov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The delegation of the European Union to Russia has announced its festival of European film will go ahead this year, after opening the event with a screening of a Spanish film in a Moscow cinema on Oct. 25.
The rest of the films in the program will be available to watch online with Russian subtitles between Nov. 1 and Nov. 15.
The 2021 edition was held online due to the Covid-19 pandemic, while in 2022 the festival was not organized due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
"Last year we had to suspend it for obvious reasons, but this year we are resuming it," Galharague told reporters in Moscow, according to Russian state news agency TASS on Oct. 16.
The slogan of this edition is "Cinema unites," according to the website.
"In these difficult times, when we are separated by circumstances and physical boundaries, cinema continues to overcome any obstacles," the EU's Ambassador to Russia Roland Galharague was quoted on the festival's website.
"Russian culture is part of the European cultural heritage," Galharague said.
"Russian history and art have long fascinated and inspired the world," and Russian cinema has touched "the hearts and minds of people from all over the world."
The program features films ranging from 2016 to 2022 from across the continent, as well as a few co-productions between Russia and EU countries.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Dinara Khalilova
