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.
Ukrainian military learn to fly drones at night using thermal vision on May 11, 2023, in Lviv Oblast, Ukraine. (Paula Bronstein /Getty Images)
Latvia will soon be providing Kyiv with domestically-produced drones and radar systems, Ukraine's ambassador to the country said on May 11.
In an interview with Ukrinform, Anatolii Kutsevol, said military-technical cooperation between Ukrainian and Latvian businesses was increasing.
"I think that over time we will have more media reports about the transfer of drones and radar defense systems manufactured in Latvia to Ukraine," he said.
"There are other areas of cooperation, but they cannot be named now for security reasons," he added.
Latvia has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the outbreak of the full-scale war and annually allocates 0.25% of its GDP to provide military aid to Ukraine.
Silina said earlier in April that Riga's military aid for Kyiv amounted to 392 million euros ($419 million) since February 2022.
Latvia also established the international drone coalition for Ukraine together with the U.K. in January to bolster Ukraine's arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
Latvia's latest military aid package to Ukraine was announced by Prime Minister Evika Silina on April 30 and aims to "improve both Ukraine's air defense and intelligence capabilities."
The package included anti-aircraft guns, tactical unmanned surveillance systems, and "other essential material and technical assets to the Armed Forces of Ukraine," Silina said on X.
Each shipment of aid affirms the relationship between Latvia and Ukraine and "its fight against the aggressor Russia, which is the biggest threat to world peace and security," Silina added.
