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.
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.
Hungary's parliament building in a photo on Dec. 13, 2021. (Ludovic Marin/AFP via Getty Images)
Hungary plans to bring a vote on Sweden's NATO accession on Feb. 26, said Mate Kocsis, the head of the ruling Fidesz party in parliament, in a post on Facebook on Feb. 20.
Sweden and Finland applied to join the alliance in 2022 after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, but their accession was held up by objections from Turkey and Hungary. Finland joined NATO in April 2023.
After Turkey formally ratifiedSweden's NATO membership on Jan. 25, Hungary remains the only NATO member yet to approve Sweden's application.
Fidesz, which has a supermajority in parliament, has pledged its support for Sweden's ratification, all but ensuring its passage if brought to a vote.
Kocsis was unequivocal in his prognosis of the outcome, saying that "Sweden will join NATO."
A bipartisan delegation of U.S. senators visited Budapest on Feb. 18 in the latest bid from other alliance members to urge Hungary to finally approve Sweden's accession after more than a year of delays.
"With accession, Hungary and your prime minister (Viktor Orban) will be doing a great service to freedom-loving nations worldwide," said Senator Thom Tillis at a press conference on Feb. 18.
Hungarian officials declined to meet with the delegation, which struck Senator Chris Murphy as "strange and concerning." At the same time, Murphy acknowledged that the decision was ultimately up to Orban.
"We are wise enough about politics here to know that if Orban wants this to happen, then the parliament can move forward," Murphy said.
Hungary and Ukraine have had a contentious relationship that has worsened since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion. Orban has maintained close ties with Russia, bucking the united front that the EU has tried to present in support of Ukraine.
Despite repeatedly displaying obstructionist behavior on EU actions in support of Ukraine and in opposition to Russia, Hungary has ultimately approved 12 previous EU sanctions packages. Budapest signaled it would oppose the upcoming 13th round of EU sanctions, but Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Feb. 19 that Hungary would not obstruct its approval.
After blocking 50 billion euros ($54 billion) in EU aid for Ukraine in December 2023, Orban reversed course earlier in February and voted for the package, claiming that he had received guarantees that none of Hungary's funds would go to Ukraine.
Martin Fornusek
