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.
Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman and former President Dmitry Medvedev at a meeting at the Kremlin on Sept. 20, 2022. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev echoed Soviet leader Joseph Stalin in his threats against Ukrainians in Russian-occupied territories, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) wrote in its Feb. 22 report.
Medvedev, now the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said in an interview with Russian media on Feb. 22 that Ukrainian citizens in occupied Ukraine who attempt sabotage against Russia should be "exposed and punished, sent to Siberia ... for re-education in forced labor camps."
"Medvedev’s usage of Stalin-era purge rhetoric is significant," the ISW said.
Stalin's regime infamously targeted "saboteurs" and dissidents in purges throughout the 1920s and 1930s. The Holodomor, a man-made famine that caused an estimated 3.5 to 5 million Ukrainian deaths, also took place under Stalin's command.
Ukrainians in illegally occupied regions of Ukraine already suffer deportations at the hands of Russian authorities. A BBC investigation on Jan. 8 found that Russia has deported and detained thousands of Ukrainian civilians, holding them without charges, trials, or access to legal counsel.
Many were arrested for failing to support Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine.
Medvedev also said in the interview that Russia should seize and occupy Kyiv “if not now then after some time.” He repeated pro-Kremlin propaganda claims that both Kyiv and Odesa are historically "Russian" cities.
The comments preceded a Russian attackagainst Odesa overnight on Feb. 23 that killed three people. The city's historic center, a UNESCO world heritage site, has been badly damaged by Russian attacks.
"Medvedev’s comments continue to indicate that the Kremlin has returned to its domestic narrative that Russia is fighting the war to 'liberate its historic lands,'" ISW analysts said.
Medvedev earlier this month threatened to use nuclear weapons against the U.S., the U.K., Germany, and Ukraine if Moscow loses all occupied Ukrainian territories.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Daria Shulzhenko
