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.
Foreign soldiers made prisoners of war (POW) after being captured by Ukraine as combattants within the Russian armed forces, take part in a press conference organised by Ukrainian officials in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 15, 2024, amid the Russian invasion in Ukraine. (Anatolii Stepanov/AFP via Getty Images)
Cubans continue to arrive in Russia to join its forces to fight against Ukraine despite the Cuban government's attempts to clamp down on recruitment, Bloomberg reported on July 19, citing its undisclosed source.
Russia has been recruiting foreigners from such countries as Nepal, Somalia, India, Cuba, and others to fight in Ukraine from the very beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Russian forces have been trying to boost military enlistment at home and abroad as the need to replenish the troops has become more acute.
Between 462,000 and 728,000 Russian soldiers have been killed, injured, or captured in the invasion of Ukraine by mid-June, The Economist reported in July.
Cuban volunteers join the Russian armed forces through informal channels, and the total number involved in Russia's war in Ukraine is "likely in the low hundreds," the source said.
Generous payments offered by the Russian military are luring Cubans to join the war as the Caribbean country struggles with power outages and food shortages amid an economic crisis that has sparked mass migration and street protests, Bloomberg said.
Some Cubans are also attracted to the possibility of obtaining a Russian passport after Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree in January allowing foreigners to become Russian citizens in exchange for military service.
Cuba and Russia, two allies since the start of the Cold War, have reciprocal visa-free travel between the countries, as well as direct flights between Havana and Moscow.
In March, Russia sent crude oil tankers to Cuba to help mitigate the economic downturn, and last month, a group of naval ships docked in Havana for a planned visit.
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.
Nate Ostiller
