Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for Saturday's grand final.
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.
Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Serik Zhumangarin discusses the country's trade policy in a meeting with with representatives of the Damu fund, Atameken National Chamber of Entrepreneurs, associations of trade enterprises of Kazakhstan, union of trade networks, trade markets, pharmacy chains, major retailers, the Commissioner for the Protection of Entrepreneurs and other participants of Kazakhstan trade markets on Sept. 3, 2022. (Prime Minister of Kazakhstan Official Information Source)
Kazakhstan will review its approach to enforcing sanctions against Russia, prioritizing its own economic interests, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Trade Minister Serik Zhumangarin said in an interview with Bloomberg on Aug. 16.
According to Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan will not "blindly follow the sanctions" if they affect domestic Kazakh companies that are the leading employers in their areas.
"We will not allow our own producers to be banned from trade," he said in an interview with Bloomberg.
The change in rhetoric underscores the Central Asian nation's maneuvering to access the global markets for exporting Kazakh-made commodities and agricultural goods.
Russia was Kazakhstan's main trade partner before the outbreak of the full-scale war against Ukraine. The Central Asian state’s economy heavily relied on Russia, so the sanctions imposed by the West significantly impacted Kazakhstan’s economic situation.
Sanctions against Russia complicate the logistics of Kazakh exports, forcing them to detour via the Caspian Sea and then Georgia. Shipments through Russia are no longer possible since Russian ports are too preoccupied with domestic cargo.
The Kazakh government has sought concessions from Western nations to allow it to sell goods to Iran or use the country for transit but has been unsuccessful. According to Zhumangarin, Kazakhstan does not acknowledge any unilateral sanctions and intends to move forward regardless.
While visiting Germany in October 2023, Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said that Kazakhstan would continue its economic cooperation with Russia while promising to adhere to the sanctions imposed on its northern neighbor.
Daria is a newsroom intern at the Kyiv Independent. She is a Media and Communication BSc student at the University of Surrey, U.K. She also studied Journalism and Social Communications at Kyiv's National University of Taras Shevchenko. Daria previously worked as a freelance copywriter and volunteered at a local town newspaper in Guildford, U.K.
Katie Marie Davies
