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.
The EU and Ukrainian flags in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, July 2023. (Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
The European Commission is expected to issue a positive evaluation of Ukraine's accession bid on Nov. 8, although additional conditions may be raised, Reuters reported on Oct. 24, citing three official sources.
Following a potential recommendation by the EU's executive body, the member states' leaders still have to agree to open the actual negotiations. The bloc's representatives are expected to make the decision during a Dec. 14-15 summit, the news agency reported.
While the Commission will likely support the launch of Ukraine's membership talks, Kyiv may be asked to take more steps in its fight against corruption and in national minorities rights, Reuters said.
The latter point is reportedly connected to Budapest's long-term complaints of alleged discrimination against the Hungarian ethnic minority in western Ukraine pertaining to language rights, an accusation that Kyiv rejects.
As part of the accession process, Kyiv was presented with seven criteria it needs to fulfill in order to begin the membership talks.
Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration Olha Stefanishyna said in September that Ukraine had already "fulfilled the EU recommendations on the necessary legislative work in the judicial and media spheres," adding that the reforms in other areas are ongoing.
When asked how far Ukraine came in fulfilling all the seven criteria, an EU official told Politico earlier in October that progress has been encouraging, and only the area concerning national minorities seemed problematic in the short term.
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, adopted changes to its law on national minorities on Sept. 21, taking into consideration recommendations by the Venice Commission.
The Venice Commission is the Council of Europe's advisory body that provides guidance to Ukraine and other potential members on implementing steps needed for EU integration.
The EU's executive body is expected to issue its assessment on other hopefuls as well. While Moldova may receive a similarly positive evaluation, "the jury is still out" on Georgia, Reuters said, citing its sources.
The Caucasian country's ruling party – the Georgian Dream – has been accused of democratic backsliding and of pulling the country back into the Kremlin's orbit. Unlike Kyiv or Chisinau, Tbilisi was not granted an EU membership candidate status in June 2022.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Mark Leonard
