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.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
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.
Illustrative image: Ukrainian servicemen of the 92nd Assault Brigade fire BM-21 'Grad' multiple rocket launcher toward Russian positions, in the Kharkiv region, Ukraine on May 15, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey /AFP via Getty Images)
Editor's Note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Russian forces launched missile and drone attacks overnight on June 14, targeting multiple Ukrainian regions.
Explosions were heard in the cities of Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv in the early hours of June 14, around 12:30 a.m. local time, Suspilne reported. Explosions were heard in Khmelnytskyi Oblast around 2:30 a.m., and then again at around 3:20 a.m. and 4:15 a.m. local time.
Ukraine's Air Force warned of missile threats on Ukraine's western oblasts, including Lviv and Ivano-Frankivsk oblasts. The Air Force also warned of missile attacks directed towards the capital, Kyiv.
Poland announced that it had scrambled military jets to protect Polish airspace amid the Russian attack in western Ukraine.
"This is another very busy night for the entire air defense system," the Operational Command of Poland's Armed Forces said on X.
Earlier in the night, air raid alerts were issued across the country as Ukraine's Air Force warned of Russian Shahed drone and missile attacks.
No damage to infrastructure or casualties were reported as of 3:30 a.m.
In recent months, Russia has intensified its attacks against Ukraine's critical infrastructure in a renewed assault against the country's energy grid.
As a result of the attacks on energy infrastructure, Ukraine began implementing rolling shutdowns on May 15, but they have dramatically increased in recent days.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
