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.
Firefighters putting out fire at an industrial facility in Ternopil Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 20, 2024, following a Russian missile attack. (State Emergency Service in Ternopil Oblast/Telegram)
An increased level of chlorine air concentration was detected in the western city of Ternopil following a Russian missile attack against an industrial facility on Aug. 20, authorities said.
Russia carried out the attack overnight, with a fire breaking out in a fuel and lubricant warehouse in an unspecified facility at 3 a.m. No casualties or injuries have been reported as a result of the strike.
Oksana Chaichuk, the head of the regional Center for Disease Control and Prevention, warned Ternopil's residents to limit exposure to open air and close windows.
"With a norm of 0.1 milligrams (of chlorine) per cubic meter (mg/m³), there is an excess of 0.4 to 1.01," Chaichuk said at a press briefing, adding that this means the chlorine air concentration is from four to 10 times higher than the norm.
Chlorine exposure can lead to irritation of the eyes, nose, and sore throat at lower concentration levels but can also cause more serious problems and death at higher levels.
Ternopil is a city in western Ukraine with a population of roughly 225,000. Lying hundreds of kilometers from the front line, the city is not a common target of Russian attacks.
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.
Massimo Diana
