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.
French President Emmanuel Macron delivers a speech at the Globsec regional security forum in Bratislava, Slovakia, on May 31, 2023. (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron reaffirmed his commitment to Ukraine's sovereignty on the third anniversary of Russia's war against Ukraine in a joint press conference with U.S. President Donald Trump on Feb. 24.
"I'm going to tell him (Trump) 'You can't be weak with (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin,'" Macron said on Feb. 20 in the lead-up to his meeting with Trump. Europe has scrambled to strengthen support for Ukraine in response to uncertainty in U.S. foreign policy.
Macron praised Trump for working on a minerals deal with President Volodymyr Zelensky, saying the deal is a commitment to Ukrainian sovereignty.
The minerals deal is an agreement in the works that would grant the U.S. preferential access to rare earth minerals among other resources such as oil in Ukraine.
The deal could reportedly grant the U.S. $500 billion in value stemming from 50% of revenue from resource extraction in Ukraine, but has garnered criticism from many for being a "colonial agreement."
"This peace must not mean a surrender of Ukraine. It must not mean a ceasefire without guarantees. This peace must allow for Ukrainian sovereignty and allow Ukraine to negotiate with other stakeholders," Macron said.
Macron said he and Trump both share the view that a lasting peace must be established swiftly in Ukraine. The French leader stressed the need to ensure a peace agreement is not weak in response to Trump's calls for a swift peace settlement that many fear would favor Russia.
Trump and Macron agreed on the importance of having European peacekeepers deployed to monitor a potential ceasefire in Ukraine.
"That is one of the great areas of progress that we’ve made during this trip and during this discussion," Macron said referring to the deployment of peacekeepers to Ukraine.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is set to visit Trump in a similar meeting on Feb. 27.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
The Kyiv Independent
