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 forces have already put out of action five large Russian military landing crafts since the start of the full-scale invasion, Ukraine's Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk said on a TV channel Freedom on Aug. 15.
Pletenchuk added that prior to the full-scale war, Russia was reinforcing its Black Sea Fleet under the guise of exercises, but this option is no longer open.
"I remind you, only from the large landing crafts, they (Russia) added six to those already there," the spokesperson said.
"But the result is known: five of them are no longer in service. This bill can still grow," the added.
In March 2022, a Ukrainian attack against the port in occupied Berdiansk destroyed the landing ship Saratov and damaged two others, Novocherkassk and Cesar Kunikov.
Another landing craft Olenegorskiy Gornyak sustained serious damage in a surface drone attack on Aug. 4 while docked at Novorossiysk naval base. The ship was later seen being towed away from its pier.
Pletenchuk did not name the fifth disabled vessel.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
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