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.
Banners with the demands of the protesting truckers are seen hung on trucks during the blockade of the border crossing to Ukraine near Dorohusk, Poland, on Nov. 6, 2023. (Attila Husejnow/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Another Ukrainian trucker died at the border with Poland during the continued Polish trucker blockade, Ukrinform reported on Nov. 23, citing Volodymyr Mykhalevych, the head of the NGO International Automobile Carriers of Ukraine.
The trucker, a 56-year-old man, died after waiting almost three days on the Polish side of the border to cross, Mykhalevych told the Ukrainian media outlet.
Mykhalevych cited Polish authorities saying the man most likely died of natural causes, but the circumstances were still being investigated.
Deputy Infrastructure Minister Serhii Derkach said on Nov. 12 that a 54-year-old Ukrainian trucker had died waiting at the Polish border, likely of natural causes.
Polish truckers have been protesting and blockading the border with Ukraine for weeks now against the EU's liberalization of transport rules for Ukrainian trucks.
Polish truckers complain that the high number of Ukrainian drivers entering Poland are hauling goods from Poland to other countries, undercutting local businesses that cannot match cheaper Ukrainian prices.
Ukrainian officials and industry representatives deny the accusations.
Three border crossings, Yavhodyn– Dorohusk, Rava-Ruska– Hrebenne crossings, and Krakivets-Korczowa, have been blocked since early November. However, Ukraine's State Border Service told Hromadske on Nov. 23 that truckers had begun to block the Medyka-Shehyni crossing as well.
Negotiations to resolve the situation have so far been unsuccessful.
Slovak truckers joined in on the protest on Nov. 21, although Derkach said on Nov. 23 that Slovak authorities would seek to prevent the blockades.
Dominic Culverwell
