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.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto attends the 26th St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Russia on June 15, 2023. (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Budapest will continue blocking the disbursement of 6.5 billion euros ($7 billion) from the European Peace Facility (EPF) for Ukraine military aid until Kyiv allows the transit of Russia's Lukoil oil, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on July 23.
Both Hungary and Slovakia said that Ukrainian sanctions effectively halted the oil transit of the Russian Lukoil company to the two countries.
The Slovak leadership also threatened unspecified repercussions against Ukraine, reminding Slovakia's key role as an electricity supplier amid Ukraine's energy deficit caused by Russian strikes.
Oleksiy Chernyshov, head of Ukraine's state-owned energy company Naftogaz, said earlier this week that while the transit of the Lukoil product through Ukraine has ceased, the overall transit volumes have remained stable. He called Bratislava's and Budapest's complaints a "political issue."
"I also made it clear that as long as Ukraine fails to resolve the issue, everyone can forget about the 6.5 billion euros in compensation for arms transfers under the European Peace Facility," Szijjarto said in an interview with the ATV news channel.
Hungary, broadly seen as the most Kremlin-proximate EU member, has repeatedly obstructed aid for Ukraine on account that it "prolongs" and "escalates" the ongoing war. These views have been often echoed in Slovakia since Ukraine-skeptic Prime Minister Robert Fico took office last fall.
The blocking of funds under the EPF predates the dispute over Lukoil supplies. Hungary has been stalling tranches under the program, meant to reimburse members who provided aid to Ukraine, for over a year.
According to Szijjarto, Hungary is working on legal and technical solutions to ensure the long-term oil supply if Ukraine does not lift the restrictions.
"I think that this is a crystal clear situation here, and the European Commission should really pressure Ukraine to allow Lukoil oil deliveries again," Szijjarto said after he and the Slovak government turned to the EU for mediating the dispute.
According to the foreign minister, Lukoil supplies represent 33% of Hungary's crude oil imports, as well as 40-45% of Slovakia's imports. The two countries were among the few EU members granted exceptions from the ban on Russian pipe oil imports.
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.
Kateryna Hodunova
