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.
An employee looks out over the illuminated petroleum cracking complex at the Lukoil-Nizhegorodnefteorgsintez oil refinery, operated by OAO Lukoil, in Nizhny Novgorod, Russia, on Dec. 4, 2014. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Russian companies are facing difficulties in repairing oil refineries due to Western sanctions, and Ukrainian drone attacks could worsen the problem, Reuters reported on April 4, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.
There was only one company that knew how to repair the gasoline-producing unit at Lukoil PJSC's NORSI plant in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, which was attacked on March 12. It was an American multinational oil engineering company UOP that withdrew from Russia after its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, five sources told Reuters.
After engineers were unable to find spare parts for repairs, "the whole unit just stopped," according to Reuters's sources.
The unit, which is used to convert heavier hydrocarbons into gasoline, has been out of service since January, and it is unclear when it can be repaired due to a lack of expertise in Russia, Reuters reported.
The fourth-biggest Russian refinery, NORSI, reduced gasoline production by 40% as a result, two sources told Reuters.
The difficulties have been compounded by Ukrainian drone attacks, which hit at least 12 Russian oil refineries this year, according to the news agency's industry sources. Reuters estimated that these attacks forced Russian refineries to shut in about 14% of their capacity in the first quarter.
Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak claimed that the damaged facilities should resume operations within a month or two as Russian firms work to produce the necessary spare components.
The Financial Times reported in March that the U.S. warned Ukraine to stop attacking Russian oil refineries, allegedly out of concern that strikes could raise global oil prices. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on April 2 that Washington has "neither supported nor enabled strikes by Ukraine outside of its territory."
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that targeting Russian oil and weapons facilities is a legitimate military strategyand that Ukraine has a right to use its own weapons for self-defense.
Igor Kossov
