Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
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 during his daily address on Oct. 17, 2023. (President's Office)
The level of trust in government bodies, especially in the president, "increased significantly" in Ukraine after Russia launched its 2022 full-scale invasion, according to a recent poll by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).
Around 73% of respondents trust President Volodymyr Zelensky, 54% trust the government, 49% and 51% trust the regional and local authorities, respectively, the poll results show.
The confidence in Zelensky and the government is higher among young Ukrainians and people with high incomes, while residents of Ukraine's eastern regions showed the lowest level of trust in the authorities.
Compared to 2021, Ukrainians expressed higher trust in law enforcement as well, with the National Guard's numbers having risen from 50% to 72%, the Security Service — from 23% to 59%, and the National Police — from 30% to 56%.
Meanwhile, almost half of Ukrainians don't trust domestic media, and 31% don't trust NGOs, according to the survey conducted at the request of the European Union Advisory Mission in Ukraine (EUAM Ukraine).
As for trust in the EU and NATO, 65% and 59% of respondents gave positive responses, respectively. At the same time, 77% of Ukrainians said it was important for them that Ukraine join the EU.
KIIS interviewed 2,005 adults from all Ukrainian regions except for Russian-occupied and front-line territories. The survey took place on Sept. 4-20.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Oleg Sukhov
