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.
Destroyed cars are pictured outside a train station in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, on April 8, 2022. (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
A Russian missile attack on Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast injured at least three people on Feb. 20, Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
Filashkin said two explosions were heard in Kramatorsk at around 8:00 p.m. local time. An industrial area and a residential building were reportedly damaged.
“We are determining the final consequences of the shelling,” Filashkin said, urging residents to evacuate from the front-line towns of Donetsk Oblast.
Kramatorsk City Council announced that the city's water supply may be interrupted in the aftermath of the attack.
Donetsk Oblast, which has been partially occupied by Russian forces since 2014, suffers from regular Russian attacks.
The day prior on Feb. 19, Filashkin reported that Russian forces fired at settlements in Donetsk Oblast, including the region's Bakhmut and Pokrovsk districts, five times.
Russian forces attacked the region's cities of Kramatorsk and Sloviansk on the evening of Feb. 17, killing two people.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
John Roberts
