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.
The inscription Aeroflot seen on an aircraft model presented by Russian Airlines at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum 2024 on June 5, 2024. (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
About 30 Russian airlines, accounting for 26% of domestic passenger traffic, may go bankrupt in 2025, Russia's Izvestia newspaper reported on Nov. 13.
Russian airlines fear a deterioration in their financial condition and the revocation of their operator's certificates due to accumulated debts for leasing foreign aircraft, the media reported.
In 2025, the government allowed the companies to write off their debts, but these amounts will be subject to a 25% income tax. This financial burden may force them to close their operations, according to Izvestia.
Almost the entire fleet of Russian carriers was registered in Bermuda, Ireland, as well as other European countries, with monthly payments for a used Airbus A320s running up to around $80-150,000.
Only major airlines, including Aeroflot, Ural Airlines, and S7 Airlines, were able to buy back leased aircraft with funds from the National Welfare Fund. In the first quarter of 2024, 165 out of 400 were repurchased.
Since the written-off accounts payable are classified as "non-operating income" and the "saved" money is recognized as profit and taxed, this causes dissatisfaction among market participants, the media reported.
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Opinion: The central bank can’t solve Russia’s economic crisis in the face of war and sanctions Almost three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the West’s financial sanctions have finally started to bite, triggering fierce infighting within the Kremlin over control of Russia’s central bank. Russia’s business community has remained largely silent over the past two… The Kyiv Independent Anders Åslund
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
