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.
The Kherson Oblast sign is seen on Nov. 13, 2022, after Russia's retreat from Kherson. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian forces carried out an air strike on May 21 on the city of Kherson, injuring three people, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Russian troops launched the attack around 4 p.m. local time, targeting the Shumenskyi district and damaging a high-rise building.
Three people were confirmed injured as of 5 p.m. local time, according to Prokudin. The youngest victim is a 15-year-old boy who was hospitalized.
A 50-year-old woman was hospitalized in serious condition.
A 71-year-old woman was another victim of the attack. She sustained a leg injury and received medical help at the scene.
Ukraine's Armed Forces liberated Kherson and other settlements on the west bank of the Dnipro River during a counteroffensiveinin the fall of 2022.
Russian troops were pushed to the river's east bank, from where they have since been firing at the liberated territories, regularly resulting in civilian deaths, as well as large-scale destruction of homes and infrastructure.
Earlier in the day, a Russian drone dropped explosives on the village of Antonivka, injuring three elderly women.
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.
Dinara Khalilova
