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.
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.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas speaks during a joint press conference with Ukrainian President after their meeting in Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on April 24, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to the media from a security conference in Singapore, Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas said that Russia's narrative that NATO had a role to play in its invasion of Ukraine sees a great deal of play in Asia and must be refuted.
"Here they talk about the expansion of NATO as a process that is somehow not connected with the will of the countries, but I refute this," Kallas told the Estonian publication ERR on June 4.
On its part, "Russia is behaving like the last colonial power that is actually trying to colonize and expand its empire," Kallas went on.
The prime minister said that NATO threatens not Russia's security but Russia's imperialism.
She further called for more cooperation between the European Union and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to reduce their reliance on unreliable powers.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Olga Rudenko
