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.
Archival photo for illustrative purposes: A Russian strike raised Huliaipole's cultural center to the ground, sparing only an "I love Huliaipole" sign. (Alexander Query)
Russian troops launched Grad rockets at the town of Huliaipole in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast, killing three civilians and wounding one, regional governor Ivan Fedorov reported on April 7.
Russia continues to regularly attack civilian areas near the front line, resulting in casualties and heavily damaging many cities, towns, and villages in Ukraine's east and south.
Two men and a woman were killed under the rubble of a house struck by the attack, according to Fedorov. He added that the wounded man was hospitalized.
"The enemy is shelling the front-line communities every day," Fedorov said in his Telegram post, suggesting civilians in front-line areas to be evacuated for safety.
Huliaipole lies less than 10 kilometers north of the front line and some 90 kilometers (56 miles) southeast of the regional center, Zaporizhzhia.
The Russian attacks were reported across the country overnight.
Overnight, Russia attacked the eastern city of Kharkiv with drones, wounding three people.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
Chris York
