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.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban during his annual news conference in Budapest, Hungary, on Dec. 21, 2023. (Akos Stiller/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Diplomats of the Bucharest Nine (B9), a group of central and eastern European NATO allies, discussed the possibility of excluding Hungary from future meetings of the club, the Financial Times (FT) reported on June 11, citing its undisclosed sources.
The Bucharest Nine is a group of central and eastern European NATO members, namely Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. It was established in 2015 in response to Russia's aggression against Ukraine in Crimea and Donbas.
Riga will host the B9 summit on June 11. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is expected to join the leaders.
At recent meetings, Hungary vetoed the group's joint conclusions on increasing aid for Ukraine and approving any steps related to Kyiv's NATO membership, the FT wrote.
One of the newspaper's sources described the discussions at gatherings as "tough," saying that it will be difficult to organize future meetings if they do not become more collaborative.
Budapest once again refused to support the draft statement agreed upon by other countries, the officials told FT.
The discussions about Hungary's exclusion from the club are "very serious," another source said.
"We are likely meeting in this format for the last time," one of the people told the FT.
Budapest has repeatedly opposed Ukraine's accession to NATO and the EU, sanctions on Russia, undermined Western aid efforts for Ukraine, and maintained close relationswith Moscow throughout the full-scale war.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban claimed in late May that NATO's current direction might result in a clash with Russia, adding that Budapest is working to redefine its position in NATO so that it could refrain from any actions outside of the alliance's territory.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
