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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. A Lukoil fuel storage facility is being seen near Sofia Airport in Sofia, Bulgaria, on June 11, 2024. (STR/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Hungary will not face oil shortages due to Ukraine's decision to block Lukoil PJSC's crude transit, according to Zsolt Hernadi, CEO of Hungarian oil and gas conglomerate MOL Group.
“Let’s not panic,” Hernadi said to audience members at a conference on Monday.
He said that Hungary has 90 days of strategic reserves, with the option to buy Russian crude via Croatia.
This statement contradicts concerns raised by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's government and Slovakia, which sought EU intervention.
However, the EU dismissed these worries, stating that Ukraine’s sanctions against Lukoil will not impact transit operations using the Druzhba pipeline.
EU ambassadors are not sympathetic to Budapest's and Bratislava's complaints about Kyiv blocking the flow of Russian pipeline oil, Politico reported on July 29, citing behind-the-scene talks among European diplomats.
While EU officials publicly promised to review the matter, they privately voiced exasperation as neither Hungary nor Slovakia managed to reduce their dependency on Russian oil while many other member states did.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Abbey Fenbert
