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.
Police officer Oleksii Kharkivskyi looks at smoke rising from a Russian glide bomb impact site in Vovchansk, Kharkiv Oblast, on May 11, 2024. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent)
Active battles are taking place in Vovchansk as Russian troops "take up positions on the streets of the city," Vovchansk Police Chief Oleksii Kharkivskyi said on social media on the morning of May 15.
Russia launched new offensive actions on May 10 in the north of Kharkiv Oblast toward Lyptsi and Vovchansk, a town located less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the Russian border and around 50 kilometers (31 miles) from the city of Kharkiv.
Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on May 14 that "active firefights are taking place on the northern outskirts of the city."
Kharkivskyi said that the police are still carrying out evacuations of the civilian population left in Vovchansk, but the situation is "extremely difficult."
"People, please evacuate," Kharkivskyi said. "We are helping everyone."
Syniehubov said on May 13 that around 200 to 300 people are thought to remain in Vovchansk, which had a population of almost 17,000 before the full-scale invasion began in 2022.
Almost 8,000 civilians have been evacuated from Kharkiv Oblast so far, including 2,202 residents of the Chuhuiv district, which encompasses Vovchansk.
The town was liberated in September 2022 during Ukraine’s successful counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast.
Tamaz Gambarashvili, the head of Vovchansk City Military Administration, said on May 13 that the construction of fortifications around the town after its liberation had been "difficult" due to constant Russian shelling.
Francis Farrell
