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.
Donald Tusk, the leader of Poland's Civic Coalition party, speaks during an election night rally at the party headquarters in Warsaw, Poland, on Oct. 15, 2023. (Damian Lemanski/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The three largest opposition parties in Poland, having defeated the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party in parliamentary elections on Oct. 15, are ready to form a government, opposition leader Donald Tusk said on Oct. 24.
Although PiS won the most seats, it did not win an outright majority and is lacking enough potential partners to form a government.
Tusk's three-party coalition, which involves center-right and left parties, has 248 seats to PiS's 194, out of a total of the 460-member lower house of parliament.
They still must ask Polish President Andrzej Duda to form a government. The announcement on Oct. 24 was seen as a declaration that only Tusk's coalition has the votes to do so.
However, there is still a process, and although Duda is independent, he has previously been an official PiS candidate and has remained affiliated with the party.
Duda may be able to delay the creation of a new government by almost two months if he allows PiS to make what would likely be a futile attempt to form its own coalition.
The largest party is usually given the initial right to attempt to form a government.
Tusk and his allies appealed to Duda to hasten the process. "I count on constructive cooperation with the president," he said, emphasizing that "Poles are waiting for quick decisions."
Poland has been roundly supportive of Ukraine across the political spectrum, including from PiS, even though tensions have risen in recent months around diplomatic spats and trade disputes.
Tusk has also called for unwavering support for Ukraine, saying that a Ukrainian victory was in the Polish national interest.
Elsa Court
