Performing their song "Bird of Pray," Ukrainian band Ziferblat passed the Eurovision semi-finals on May 13, qualifying Ukraine for Saturday's grand final.
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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to the frontline positions in southeastern Zaporizhzhia Oblast on March 27, 2023. (President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to participate in the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore, which will take place from May 31 to June 2, Reuters reported, citing six undisclosed sources.
The Shangri-La Dialogue is Asia's premier defense summit, held annually in Singapore by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), an independent think tank.
Security assistance for Ukraine is expected to be one of the key issues discussed at this year's dialogue,Reuters said. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun will also join the conference.
Zelensky plans to address delegates at the event on June 1, according to the news agency's undisclosed sources.
In what appears to be a conflicting report, the German news agency DPA wrote on May 30 that, according to a diplomatic source, Zelensky is expected to visit Saudi Arabia on June 1.
The Ukrainian president will attend the Shangri-La Dialogue ahead of the global peace summit, which will be held on June 15-16 in the Burgenstock resort in Switzerland. Some 90 countries have confirmed their participation in the event, according to the head of the state.
Zelensky previously said that Russia will attempt to disrupt the summit, aiming to reduce the number of participating countries.
China will not attend Ukraine's summit in June as the terms it required to attend were not met, according to Reuters, citing several sources.
Publicly, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that attending would be "difficult" as the "arrangement of the meeting still falls short of China's requirements and the expectations of the international community."
The U.S., in turn, confirmed its participation without specifying if President Joe Biden will attend.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Kateryna Hodunova
