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.
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.
A general view of the U.K.'s Defense Ministry building on Jan. 28, 2019, in London. (John Keeble/Getty Images)
The U.K. Defense Ministry was struck by a cyberattack likely carried out by Chinese hackers, Sky News reported on May 7.
Chinese and Russian-linked hacking groups have been accused of launching cyberattacks on a number of European governments and institutions, such as the U.K.'s Sellafield nuclear waste site.
The latest cyberattack was reportedly directly attributed to the Chinese state, according to Sky News. It targeted the payroll system of defense ministry employees and resulted in the breach of an unspecified amount of personal data.
"This is yet another example of why the U.K. government must admit that China poses a systemic threat to the U.K. and change the integrated review to reflect that," said lawmaker Iain Duncan Smith in comments to Sky News.
"No more pretense, it is a malign actor, supporting Russia with money and military equipment, working with Iran and North Korea in a new axis of totalitarian states," he added.
The BBC reported that Defense Secretary Grant Shapps is expected to provide a public update on the extent of the hacking and the government's "multi-point plan" to respond in an address to the parliament later on May 7.
The news comes amid Chinese President Xi Jinping's first trip to the EU in five years.
The Chinese leader's visit comes at a strenuous time, as Beijing and Europe are increasingly at odds over China's support for Russia during the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Nate Ostiller
