Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
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.
Lithuania's Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte speaks during a press briefing after the International Summit on Food Security in Kyiv on Nov. 26, 2022 (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
Global attention on the war in Israel will not weaken Western support for Ukraine, Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Simonyte said in an interview with Deutsche Welle on Oct. 19.
Russia's war in Ukraine, as well as Israel's war against Hamas, are longstanding problems, Simonyte said, and they require long-term solutions.
Ukraine's Western allies must continue to provide support, including weapons and financial assistance, because it is vital that Russia is defeated, she added.
Simonyte also reiterated her support for Ukraine's integration into both the EU and NATO, although she acknowledged that it requires consensus among the organizations' respective members, which will take time.
Nonetheless, “Ukraine proves every day that it is fighting for the right to join the European Union and NATO.”
Ukraine was granted candidate status to the EU in June 2022 and officially applied to join NATO in September 2022.
Lithuania has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion and has already provided close to one billion euros in military, financial, humanitarian, and reconstruction support as of June 2023.
It is the first-largest contributor worldwide in terms of the percentage of its GDP.
Mark Leonard
