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.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni is talking to the media at the end of a European Union leaders summit at the European Council headquarters on Feb. 10, 2023, in Brussels, Belgium. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni spoke of "a lot of tiredness" over the war in Ukraine during a prank call with two Russian comedians posing as African leaders that took place on Sept. 18. Meloni reportedly suggested that she had some ideas about how to "find a way out.”
Her office confirmed that she was misled in the call “by an impostor who passed himself off as the president of the African Union Commission.”
“There is a lot of tiredness on all sides,” Meloni reportedly stated. “The moment is approaching when everyone will understand that we need a way out...Ukraine’s counteroffensive is not going as expected … It has not changed the fate of the conflict, and everyone understands that [the conflict] could last many years if we don’t find a solution. The Ukrainians are doing what they have to do and we are trying to help them.”
“I have some ideas on how to manage this situation, but I’m waiting for the right moment to put them on the table,” Meloni revealed during the call.
The comedians, according to Italian media, are Vladimir Kuznetsov and Alexei Stolyarov, jointly known as Vovan and Lexus. One of the men reportedly posed as an "African politician."
Vovan and Lexus are famously pro-Russia and have even been accused of having links to Russian intelligence services. However, no evidence of this connection exists.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
Alexander Khrebet
