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.
Georgian oligarch and founder of the ruling Georgian Dream party Bidzina Ivanishvili gives a speech during a gathering at the party's headquarters after exit polls were announced during parliamentary elections in Tbilisi on Oct. 26, 2024. (Giorgi Arjevanidze / AFP via Getty Images)
The process of Georgia's accession to the European Union has been suspended due to the actions of the Georgian government since the spring of 2024, the European Commission announced on Oct. 30.
The decision comes after the ruling pro-Russian Georgian Dream party won a majority in the Oct. 26 parliamentary elections. Pro-EU parties have disputed the result, and European monitors also said the elections were characterized by intimidation and irregularities.
Although Georgia received EU candidate status last December, the accession process has been "de facto halted due to the course of action taken by the Georgian government since Spring 2024," the European Commission's statement read.
A joint International Election Observation Mission led by the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR) identified "several shortcomings that occurred in a tense and highly polarized environment."
Among the shortcomings, the European Commission singled out the recent legislative amendments to the election process, frequent compromises on vote secrecy, procedural inconsistencies, intimidation, and pressure on voters that negatively impacted public trust in the process.
The European Commission also insisted on the need for comprehensive electoral reform, which has already been mentioned in the body's previous key recommendations.
Pawel Herczynski, the Ambassador of the European Union to Georgia, also confirmed the suspension of the country's accession to the European Union.
"Due to the course of action taken by the Georgian government, EU leaders stopped Georgia's accession process. It remains on hold as long as Georgia continues to move away from the EU, our values, and our principles," Herczynski said.
Herczynski said that the Georgian authorities have not demonstrated "sufficient political will" to implement the necessary reforms on the path to EU membership.
Referring to the latest EU Enlargement Report, the ambassador mentioned that Georgia has lagged behind in steps related to combating disinformation, political polarization, elections, and human rights. There has also been a setback in the judicial system, which Herczynski called "unprecedented" for an EU candidate country.
"What's next? The future of EU-Georgia relations is now in the hands of the Georgian leaders," he said.
The Georgian Dream party, founded by oligarch Bidzina Ivanishvili, has led the country closer to Moscow while curbing its EU aspirations. Tbilisi's adoption of the controversial foreign agents law earlier this year sparked mass demonstrations and led to the EU effectively freezing Georgia's accession process.
After the results of the Oct. 26 vote were announced, Georgian opposition groups refused to recognize the result and said the election was stolen, pointing to election monitors reporting numerous violations across the country, including ballot stuffing and voter intimidation.
Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze said on Oct. 27 that the Georgian parliament will approve the government despite the opposition's protests.
Oleg Sukhov
