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 fire in a granary following a Russian airstrike on Odesa on July 21, 2023. (Photo by State Emergency Service of Ukraine/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
A Russian missile attack the night of July 23 killed one civilian and injured 18 others, including four children, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper said on Telegram.
Kiper said that 14 people were being hospitalized in the city of Odesa. Three of the hospitalized victims are children.
The information is subject to change, Kiper said, adding that ambulance crews were still at work on the ground.
Russian forces launched Kalibr cruise missiles and Onyx supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles at Odesa and Mikolaiv Oblasts overnight, the Air Force reported on July 23.
Earlier, Kiper had reported via Telegram that the attacks damaged civilian infrastructure, residential buildings, and a religious institution.
The Air Force announced the first launch at 12:57 a.m. local time and urged residents to seek shelter.
A second launch was reported at 1:12 a.m. The Air Force reminded residents of the region not to film or post any aerial defense activity on social media.
Kiper also appealed to residents not to upload pictures of the attacks to social media. "Do not help the enemy," the governor said.
This is the latest in a series of attacks on Odesa that Russian forces have launched this week, targeting critical port and grain infrastructure in the wake of Moscow's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Anastasiia Lapatina
