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.
Russia launched ballistic missiles at the city of Odesa on the evening of May 1, striking a postal depot of postal service Nova Poshta. (Nova Poshta / Facebook)
The Russian ballistic missile attack on a postal depot in Odesa on May 1 destroyed 15.5 metric tons of shipments worth almost Hr 3 million ($76,000), Nova Poshta, Ukraine's largest privately owned parcel delivery service, reported on May 2.
Several explosions were reported in the southern Ukrainian port city of Odesa at 10 p.m. local time almost immediately after an air raid alert went off in the region.
Photos and videos published on social media and by the State Emergency Service showed a large warehouse on fire.
Russia claimed the warehouse was a weapons storage facility, Nova Poshta said.
The attack "destroyed not only our depot," but also 904 shipments "from online stores with clothes, appliances, children's toys, goodies for pets, medicines," and parcels from relatives, Nova Poshta said.
The costs of the destroyed parcels will be compensated, according to the company.
The attack injured 14 people, but none of the 18 employees working in the depot were among the casualties because they managed to reach the bomb shelter in time, Nova Poshta co-owner Volodymyr Popereshniuk said on Facebook.
A postal depot of Nova Poshta was hit by Russia in the village of Korotych in Kharkiv Oblast in October 2023. The attack killed seven people and injured over 10 others.
Popereshniuk announced that Nova Poshta would arrange additional bomb shelters in its depots following the strike.
Elsa Court
