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.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, D.C., on April 1, 2024. (Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The U.S. policy on Ukrainian strikes deep into Russian territory with American weapons remains unchanged, despite the arrival of F-16 fighting jets in Ukraine, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing on Aug. 5.
The U.S. gave Ukraine permission on June 1 to use some American-supplied weapons, including HIMARS rockets, to strike targets in Russia located near the border with Kharkiv Oblast after Russia launched a renewed offensive in the region on May 10.
Ukraine is still prohibited from using ATACMS and other long-range U.S.-supplied weapons for strikes deeper inside Russia.
The United States will decide on the use of American-made weapons provided to Ukraine, including F-16 fighters, for strikes in Russia depending on the situation on the battlefield and the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, according to Miller.
"My answer has not changed today (Aug. 5), which is we constantly look at the needs of the Ukrainian military, we assess the security situation, and we try to be responsive to their needs," Miller said.
This process "has been going on from the very beginning to the present day," the spokesperson added.
President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed on Aug. 4 that the first batch of F-16s had arrived in Ukraine and that the jets were already being used by Ukrainian pilots.
Kyiv received a number of F-16s a year after the launch of the Danish-Dutch-led "fighter jet coalition" at the NATO summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is an American air superiority fighter that Kyiv has requested from its partners since the start of the full-scale invasion.
Chris York
