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.
Lubos Blaha after being elected to the European Parliament in June 2024. (Politico)
Lubos Blaha, a senior lawmaker from Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico's pro-Russian Smer (Direction) party, visited Moscow on Oct. 12.
Blaha posted a four-minute Telegram video, walking across the Red Square, praising Russia as "beautiful, wise, and advanced,” and calling for an end to hatred towards the country.
He stated that he travelled to Russia in order to "give thanks for the liberation from fascism" and apologize for Western "Russophobia."
Blaha then paid tribute to Soviet commander Georgy Zhukov and commented on the "Slavic brotherhood" between Slovakia and Russia, repeating common Kremlin propaganda points used to justify the invasion of Ukraine.
He also criticized the European Parliament’s resolutions against Russia, and said that he opposes further military aid to Ukraine as well as Western sanctions against Russia, echoing Fico’s stance.
Fico halted military aid to Ukraine after taking office in September 2023. The move was a stark reversal of Slovak foreign policy.
Following Fico’s rise to power, Slovakia embarked on a path very similar to its southern neighbor Hungary, where Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s Russia-friendly leadership has been a consistent thorn in the side of EU and NATO unity regarding Ukraine.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Kateryna Denisova
