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.
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.
A view of the destroyed residential area as Ukrainian emergency services and police offer evacuations to civilians living near the town of Selydove due to the rapid advance of Russian troops in the direction of Selydove, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 28, 2024. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Russia has seized more territory in its war with Ukraine over the past week than at any point in 2024, Bloomberg reported on Nov. 1, using Bloomberg Intelligence calculations based on the DeepState map service that tracks battlefield changes in coordination with Ukraine's Defense Ministry.
In recent months, Russian troops carried out a grinding advance in eastern Ukraine, making territorial gains while incurring heavy losses.
Russia has captured 1,146 square kilometers (442 square miles) in Ukraine since Aug. 6, about a quarter more than in the first seven months of the year, the media outlet said. The Russian military also advanced by 200 square kilometers (77 square miles) over the past week, Bloomberg reported.
As Russia makes gains on the battlefield, Ukrainian officials are growing more despondent about the future course of the war, according to one official close to President Volodymyr Zelensky's office who spoke to Bloomberg.
Meanwhile, according to Estonian intelligence, Moscow has seized 150 square kilometers (58 square miles) in the Donetsk sector of the front line over the past week.
Russian troops have reportedly captured the town of Selydove, but Ukraine has not yet confirmed the reports. Bloomberg said Russia's next targets are the towns of Poskovsk and Kurakhove, important logistical hubs for the Ukrainian military.
Observers and the Ukrainian military have previously warned of an increasingly difficult situation in the town as Russian forces have been pushing forward over the past few weeks.
The Ukrainian military said on Oct. 29 that it had repelled 11 Russian attacks in the Pokrovsk sector, including near Selydove.
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.
Chris York
