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.
Ukrainian soldiers sail on a boat to conduct an operation on the Russian-occupied eastern bank of the Dnipro River in Kherson Oblast on Sept. 14, 2023. (Kostiantyn Liberov & Vladyslava Liberova/Getty Images)
Russian forces have launched repeated assaults in an attempt to retake the recently liberated Nestryha Island in Kherson Oblast, a military official said on May 6.
Speaking on national television, Dmytro Pletenchuk, a spokesperson for the Southern Defense Forces, said Moscow's troops had tried unsuccessfully to storm Ukrainian positions three times, losing four tanks in the process.
On April 28, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said Ukrainian troops had taken control of Nestryha Island and advanced near the village of Veletenske.
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War Notes
Located in the Dnipro River delta in Kherson Oblast, Pletenchuk previously said Nestryha Island is "tactically important" as Russian forces had been using it to launch attacks on Ukrainian positions.
The village of Krynky, currently under Ukrainian control, is heavily-fought over. On May 6, Pletenchuk said Russian forces had attacked the village twice, dropping six guided bombs on the area during the morning.
In February, Russia falsely claimed it had seized the Ukrainian bridgehead in the village of Krynky.
Asami Terajima
