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.
A train runs on the Transbaikal Railway Railway in Chita, Zabaykalsky Krai, Russia, on Aug. 11, 2019. (Illustrative purposes only) (Andrew Surma/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
In Russia's far east, 14 freight train cars were derailed on Jan. 8 on the Aleur-Bushuley section of the Transbaikal Railway, according to the Russian Railways' Telegram channel.
No casualties or environmental damage were reported. The causes of the derailment are being determined.
A number of earlier railway incidents were linked to Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukrainian media claimed in late November and early December that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) carried out two sabotages on the Baikal-Amur railway in Russia's Buryatia Republic.
The Jan. 8 incident reportedly took place at 7:17 p.m. Moscow time. The initial announcement said that 27 train cars were derailed, though the number was later updated to 14.
Adjacent tracks were damaged, and four trains going between Chita and Blagoveshchensk and between Moscow and Vladivostok were delayed, the Russian Railways said.
Alternative modes of transport are being organized for stranded passengers.
The Aleur-Bushuley lies in Zabaykalsky Krai, a region over 4,500 kilometers east of Moscow on Russia's borders with China and Mongolia.
The Transbaikal Railway is a section of the larger Trans-Siberian route, a key link between European Russia and the country's far-eastern regions. It is part of a larger network that also connects to Mongolia, China, and North Korea.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Martin Fornusek
