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.
Slovakia's new Prime Minister, Robert Fico, in Prague on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico confirmed his foreign minister's statement that Bratislava would not oppose the launch of Ukraine's accession talks during the upcoming EU summit, the Slovak news outlet Pravda reported on Dec. 13.
The statement comes shortly before European Council talks on Dec. 14-15, where Hungary is expected to try to block the launch of Ukraine's EU membership negotiations. Fico's positions on Ukraine often align with those of his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban.
While open to the start of the negotiations, Fico added that Ukraine is not prepared for the process.
"We will not oppose the European Union's decision to start negotiations with Ukraine. It is a political decision that has nothing to do with reality," Fico told members of the Slovak parliament's European affairs committee.
"Ukraine is absolutely unprepared to open the negotiations," he added.
Slovak Foreign Minister Juraj Blanar earlier said on Dec. 12 that Slovakia is "ready to support the opening of accession negotiations," adding that Ukraine still has a "long and thorny road ahead."
Fico won the country's September elections running on a Ukraine-skeptic platform. The prime minister halted military aid to Kyiv from the Slovak military stocks, although he made no objections to arms deals on a commercial basis.
Slovakia's head of government previously said that he opposes Kyiv's membership in NATO and repeatedly labeled Ukraine as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
He also boasts close ties with Orban, who is broadly seen as the most Kremlin-friendly leader within the EU.
At home, Fico faces criticism in connection to corruption himself.
Slovak political opposition launched protests in several Slovak cities on Dec. 12 over the government's decision to abolish a specialized prosecutor's office, primarily investigating corruption cases.
Martin Fornusek
