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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addresses the Ukrainian Parliament in Kyiv, Ukraine on Dec. 28, 2022. (Ukrainian Presidency / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukraine's parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, approved the appointment of eight more ministers amid a major government reshuffle on Sept. 5.
The new personnel changes follow the resignation of Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and the appointment of his successor, Kuleba's deputy Andrii Sybiha.
Olha Stefanishynawasre-appointed as the deputy prime minister responsible for European integration and was also appointed justice minister.
Svitlana Hrynchuk was approved as ecology minister, replacing Ruslan Strilets.
Matviy Bidnyi, who has been acting sports and youth minister, was officially appointed to the job.
Mykola Tochytskyi, a long-serving diplomat and deputy head of the Presidential Office, was appointed as culture and information policy minister.
"At this stage, we need to strengthen the fight against disinformation, and we need a candidate with international experience for this task," David Arakhamia, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Servant of the People faction in parliament, said on Sept. 4.
Deputy Defense Minister Natalia Kalmykova became minister of veterans' affairs, and Herman Smetanin, head of the state-owned defense company Ukroboronprom, replaced Alexander Kamyshin as strategic industries minister.
Vitaliy Koval, who had spentone year as head of the State Property Fund, was approved for the position of agriculture minister.
The lawmakers also approved the candidacy of Oleksii Kuleba, a former deputy head of the Presidential Office, as deputy prime minister for the restoration of Ukraine and minister for the development of communities and territories.
The parliament also approved the resignation of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk with 255 votes. She is moving to the President’s Office, where she will be deputy head of the office.
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.
Chris York
