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.
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban gives his speech in Hungexpo Fair and Exhibition Centre of Budapest on Nov. 18, 2023. (Attila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)
Hungary's Prime Minister Viktor Orban's allies are reportedly set to meet with U.S. Republicans in Washington for a closed-door meeting to lobby for the end of military aid to Ukraine, the Guardian reported on Dec. 10.
Members of the Hungarian Institute of International Affairs and staff from the Hungarian embassy in Washington will attend a two-day event hosted by the conservative Heritage Foundation thinktank on Dec. 11, the Guardian wrote.
The Guardian reported, citing a republican source, that some of the attendees, including Republican members of Congress, have been invited to join closed-door meetings after the first day of the event.
“Orban is confident that the Ukraine aid will not pass in Congress," a diplomatic source told the Guardian. "That is why he is trying to block assistance from the EU as well.”
Republicans in the U.S. Senate blocked a supplemental funding bill that included $61 billion in military and humanitarian aid for Ukraine in a procedural vote held on Dec. 6.
Funding for Ukraine has become a source of controversy among U.S. lawmakers in recent months.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Hungary has repeatedly obstructed EU support for Kyiv, opposed sanctions against Russia, and threatened to thwart Ukraine's EU aspirations.
Orban, who maintains close ties with the Kremlin, has refused to provide military aid to Ukraine and claimed that Kyiv's counteroffensive was destined to fail.
Orban has recently threatened to block 50 billion euros worth of EU support for Ukraine and the start of membership negotiations ahead of an EU leaders' meeting on Dec. 14 that will include these topics.
The Hungarian leader is engaged in a long-running spat with Brussels, which is withholding 22 billion euros allocated for Hungary's economic development over fears of democratic backsliding and rule-of-law issues.
According to the Guardian's sources, the European Commission decided to unlock $10.7 billion since Budapest has completed necessary judicial reforms. The remaining funds will reportedly remain blocked due to a lack of compliance with other rule-of-law criteria.
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Dinara Khalilova
