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.
Artillerymen of the 110th Marko Bezruchko Separate Mechanized Brigade who serve in the Pokrovsk sector operate an RM-70 multiple rocket launcher at a firing position in Donetsk Oblast. (Dmytro Smolienko / Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Ukrainian forces have managed to halt the advance of Russian troops in the Pokrovsk sector in Donetsk Oblast, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said in an interview with CNN aired on Sept. 5.
The eastern front near Pokrovsk has been the scene of fierce fighting for several months and a focal point of Russia's offensive in Donetsk Oblast. The city is an important logistical hub for Ukrainian forces.
"Over the last six days, the enemy hasn’t advanced a single meter in the Pokrovsk direction. In other words, our strategy is working," Syrskyi said.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify the claim.
Russian troops have advanced in recent days in some other directions in Donetsk Oblast, according to the crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState.
According to Syrskyi, Russia is concentrating its most well-trained units in the Pokrovsk area, but the scale of shelling and the intensity of Moscow's offensive have decreased.
"We've taken away their ability to maneuver and to deploy their reinforcements from other directions… And this weakening has definitely been felt in other areas," the general said.
After Ukraine launched its Kursk operation a month ago, Russia has pulled over 60,000 troops to Kursk Oblast as of early September, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Moscow was forced to divert troops from other sectors, for example, from Zaporizhzhia or Kherson oblasts, he added.
The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify Zelensky's claim.
Responding to a question from the Kyiv Independent, Zelensky said on Aug. 27 that the Russian advance on Pokrovsk had slowed in tempo compared to before the Kursk operation began. A few days later, the U.K. Defense Ministry reported that Russian troops had accelerated their advance towards the town.
Pokrovsk authorities urged residents to evacuate on Aug. 15 after Russian forces reached about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the town's outskirts.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Asami Terajima
