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 Ukrainian Emergency Ministry rescuer attends an exercise in the city of Zaporizhzhia on Aug. 17, 2022, in case of a possible nuclear incident at the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant located in neighboring Enerhodar. (Photo by Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP via Getty Images)
A terrorist attack against a nuclear plant would be considered equivalent to using nuclear weapons against civilians, National Security and Defense Council chief Oleksii Danilov told Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on June 30.
The official said that Ukraine will be carefully watching the world's reaction if a terror attack at the Russia-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant comes to pass.
Danilov noted that after the Kakhovka dam destruction, which unleashed a humanitarian disaster in Ukraine's south, the world's reaction did not correspond to the country's suffering.
He added that some Western partners are appealing to Moscow not to make this step as it will have "catastrophic" consequences for Russia.
In Danilov's words, Kyiv is doing everything possible to prevent this terrorist attack, but the power station is now in the hands of "unpredictable" terrorists.
President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on June 20, citing intelligence reports, that Moscow is considering a terrorist attack at the plant by deliberately leaking radiation. According to Interior Minister, special coordination centers have already been deployed across Ukraine to prepare for the eventuality.
Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov told New Statesman on June 23 that Russia had completed preparations for the terror attack at the nuclear plant.
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.
Dinara Khalilova
