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.
Singer Alyona Alyona, one of Ukraine's representatives at the Eurovision Song Contest 2024, speaks to the press at the Central Railway Station upon her return to Kyiv on May 13, 2024. (Eugen Kotenko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The organizers of the Eurovision Song Contest fined the Ukrainian delegation for wearing T-shirts printed with the logo "Free Azovstal Defenders" during the event, Ukrainian artist Alyona Alyona said in an Instagram post published May 14.
Ukraine's Alyona Alyona and Jerry Heil won third place at the 68th Eurovision competition on May 12 with their song "Teresa & Maria."
According to Alyona Alyona, the Ukrainian delegation chose to defy Eurovision's ban on political messaging by wearing shirts calling for the release of imprisoned Azovstal defenders, the soldiers who defended Ukraine's last stronghold in occupied Mariupol.
"We knew that when they would show replays of the performances of all the artists, they would also show the delegation itself," said Alyona Alyona, whose real name is Aliona Savranenko.
"So when the camera came up to us, our team quickly opened up and showed our appeal to the whole world."
Appearing in the shirts at the event was "a risky and difficult task," Savranenko said. The delegation had to hide the T-shirts under their other clothes in order to avoid detection from the guards.
Even getting the shirts printed in the first place proved challenging, by Savranenko's account. Some printers weren't able to complete the order while others refused.
"However, we were able to come to an agreement with one printing company after calling them five times and tearfully begging for help," Savranenko said.
The T-shirts incurred a fine from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public service media organizations that organize the contest along with a host country broadcaster each year. Savranenko did not disclose the amount of the penalty.
Savranenko said the risk of breaking the EBU's rules was worth it to express support for Azovstal defenders in Russian captivity.
"We took a big risk, but it worked out. We just got off with a financial fine," she said.
The EBU also cracked down on performers who tried to signal support for Palestine amid the ongoing invasion of Gaza, which has killed over 35,000 Palestinians since October 2023. Protesters criticized Eurovision for allowing Israel to participate in the 2024 contest.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
