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.
A view of the Avdiivka Coke and Chemical Plant in the town of Avdiivka in the Russian-controlled part of Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 19, 2024. (STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
The Russian military pledged to evacuate wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the Zenit strongpoint in the town of Avdiivka and provide them with assistance but instead shot five of the soldiers, Ukraine’s 110th Brigade said on Feb. 19.
The confirmation came after media reports that relatives identified the dead bodies of three soldiers of the brigade. They were left behind heavily wounded, while the rest of the forces retreated from the strongpoint, according to the reports.
The brigade said in a statement that several seriously injured and killed servicemen could not be evacuated due to continuous bombardment and the complete encirclement of Zenit.
The brigade said that Ukrainian forces had contacted organizations negotiating with Russia on prisoner exchanges to provide assistance to wounded, unarmed Ukrainian soldiers.
“The enemy informed the coordinators of this process that they agreed to evacuate our wounded, provide them with assistance, and exchange them later. Our soldiers were ordered to save their lives,” the brigade wrote on Facebook, saying that Russian troops broke their promise and shot Ukrainian soldiers.
According to Ukraine’s 110th Brigade, among the executed were Andrii Dubnytskyi, Ivan Zhyntnyk, Heorhii Pavlov, Oleksandr Zinchuk and Mykola Savosik. Information on the fate of a sixth soldier has not yet been confirmed.
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi announced the decision to withdraw Ukrainian units from Avdiivka, an embattled city just north of Russian-occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine, on the night of Feb. 17.
Two days later, Maksym Zhorin, a deputy commander of Ukraine's Third Assault Brigade, said that some units of the brigade had been "completely surrounded" in Avdiivka but had managed to escape before Russian forces totally captured the town.
Russian forces have been trying to capture Avdiivka since 2014, when Russia first invaded Ukraine. Following Russia's recent assault on the city, which started in October last year, most of Avdiivka has been destroyed by urban warfare, artillery barrages, and airstrikes.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Igor Kossov
