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.
Lawyers attend the judges' inspection of the reconstruction of the MH17 wreckage, as part of the murder trial ahead of the beginning of a critical stage in Reijen, Netherlands on May 26, 2021. (Piroschka van de Wouw/Pool/Getty Images)
Relatives of the MH17 crash victims insist that Russia's recognition of responsibility for the downing of the plane should be part of a possible peace deal on ending Moscow's all-out war against Ukraine, European Pravda reported on Feb. 26, citing obtained copies of letters.
The letters were sent to U.S. President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen earlier this month, according to the media outlet.
Flight MH17 departed from Amsterdam Schiphol Airport en-route to Kuala Lumpur International Airport on July 17, 2014. Three hours into the flight, the Boeing-777 was shot down by Russian proxy forces using a Buk surface-to-air missile above Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast.
All 283 passengers and 15 crew members on board, among them 196 Dutch citizens, were killed.
Russia never claimed responsibility for the disaster, instead fanning conspiracy theories to shift the blame elsewhere.
The District Court of The Hague in November 2022 sentenced in absentia two Russian nationals and one Ukrainian national to life imprisonment for their involvement in the downing of flight MH17. A fourth defendant, also a Russian national, was acquitted on the grounds of insufficient evidence connecting him to the crime.
Relatives of the victims have long urged Russia to admit its responsibility and investigate all those involved and the causes of the downing. Now, they want their demands to be included in any potential peace pact.
According to the relatives, a credible agreement is difficult without Russia recognizing its responsibility for the downing.
"Without this (Russia's recognition of the downing of MH17), there can be no lasting peace with Russia," the letter read.
Copies of the letters were also reportedly sent to Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof and the EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas.
Elsa Court
