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.
Chairman of the Russian State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin on December 17, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
The Russian Federation will suspend its participation in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the Russian parliament, announced on Feb. 13.
Volodin reportedly called the assembly “an absolutely dependent politicized organization that dances to Washington’s tune.” The State Duma and Federation Council will consider suspending Russia's participation in the Assembly on Feb. 21.
"The worst thing in this situation is that we are still paying money, and we are one of the largest players, so we need to go out and stop transferring funds," he added.
The OSCE PA is an interparliamentary body consisting of 57 member states. The Assembly was created in 1991 to facilitate OSCE goals, including conflict prevention and resolution as well as the consolidation of democratic institutions across OSCE member countries.
Since 1993, the Assembly has monitored elections in more than 30 nations across Europe, Africa, North America, and Asia.
Last summer, the OSCE PA formally recognized Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism for its involvement with the Wagner Group. Around this time last year, the OSCE Secretary General told German journalists that Russia should remain in the organization to maintain diplomatic channels.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later boycotted OSCE meetings due to Russia's continued presence in the organization.
Kuleba's spokesperson said that Russia was abusing the OSCE's rule of consensus and resorting to blackmail and open threats to block key issues, such as Estonia's candidacy for the 2024 chairmanship.
Russia has been expelled from several international rights organizations over the last two years, including the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
Oleksiy Sorokin
