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. The annual rally commemorating the 1979 Islamic Revolution, domestically-built missiles, and a satellite carrier are displayed at the Azadi (Freedom) Sq. in Tehran, Iran, on Feb. 11, 2024. (Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)
Iran has delivered two domestically manufactured satellites to Russia for an upcoming launch, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Oct. 12. This marks the latest instance of space collaboration between the two nations, both of which are under U.S. sanctions.
The satellites, Kowsar and Hodhod, represent Iran’s first significant venture from its private space sector. They were reportedly dispatched to Russia on Oct. 11.
Kowsar, a high-resolution imaging satellite, is designed for agricultural use, environmental monitoring, and disaster management. Meanwhile, Hodhod, a small communications satellite, aims to provide satellite-based connectivity in remote areas with limited terrestrial networks.
A group of young Iranian engineers, with an average age of 25, spearheaded the project at a private Iranian tech company, according to Tasnim.
Russia previously launched Iranian satellites into orbit in February and again in 2022, raising concerns from U.S. officials about the potential military implications. These officials worry that the satellites could support Russia's operations in Ukraine and help Iran monitor military targets across Israel and the Middle East.
In a related development, Iran successfully conducted its second satellite launch this year in September, using a rocket developed by the Revolutionary Guards. The launch comes amid accusations from the U.S. and European nations that Iran has supplied Russia with ballistic missiles for use in Ukraine—claims that Tehran has repeatedly denied.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
Nate Ostiller
