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.
Germany's Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Mahlwinkel, Germany on March 16, 2023. (Photo credit: Dietmar Pohlmann/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)
Berlin is preparing an aid package worth 400 million euros ($430 million) for Ukraine, including munitions, armored vehicles, and clothes and generators for the upcoming winter, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius told Bild on Sept. 18.
The German official said that the new assistance tranche will include explosive and mortar ammunition, rockets, armored vehicles, and demining equipment.
Berlin also wants to help Ukraine prepare for the next winter by sending clothes and generators as Kyiv fears mass Russian strikes against Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
When asked about the possibility of providing Ukraine with Taurus long-range missiles, Pistorius said that the decision has not yet been made as Berlin has to consider a "variety of political, legal, military and technical aspects."
Ukraine has long been seeking to acquire Taurus missiles in addition to the long-range missiles provided by France and the U.K.
The German leadership has been so far reluctant to provide the weaponry, reportedly fearing that the missiles with a range of 500 kilometers could be used to strike against Russian territory.
According to Pistorius, Germany does not currently plan to join the fighter jet coalition either, and will instead focus on providing hardware such as Leopard 2A6 or IRIS air defense systems.
Berlin announced its previous military aid package worth $770 million at the NATO summit in Vilnius, including two Patriot launchers, 24 Leopard 1A5 tanks, 40 Marder infantry fighting vehicles, and 20,000 artillery rounds.
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.
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