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.
Rosatom Logo seen on in Russian St. Petersburg in 2022. (Photo by Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Rosatom, the Russian state nuclear energy company, uses a Dutch subsidiary to move "hundreds of millions in profits," Dutch media outlet NOS reported, citing a report from Rosatom’s subsidiary, Uranium One Cooperative.
Rosatom controls over 40% of the global uranium market and 17% of the international reactor fuel. Rosatom’s foreign order portfolio has been valued at $200 billion, and it includes the construction of over 20 nuclear reactors in various countries, such as India, Turkey, and Egypt.
The U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on Rosatom last April. EU didn't follow suit.
According to NOS, through its Dutch subsidiary, Rosatom continues to actively extract raw materials in Kazakhstan and Tanzania. From those countries, the funds are routed through the Netherlands before being transferred to Russia.
In 2022, for instance, Uranium One Cooperative made a profit of $240.6 million (222 million euros), of which tens of millions were transferred to the parent company in Russia, according to the report.
NOS also wrote that uranium trading has been generating a "substantial revenue" for the Russian treasury annually, Rosatom contributed over 3.1 billion euros in taxes in 2022, the media wrote, citing the report.
"Despite this significant influx of funds into the state treasury, Rosatom has not been subjected to European sanctions," the report reads.
Daria Shulzhenko is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She has been a lifestyle reporter at the Kyiv Post until November 2021. She graduated from Kyiv International University with a bachelor’s in linguistics, specializing in translation from English and German languages. She has previously worked as a freelance writer and researcher.
Olena Lapenko
