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.
A Ukrainian flag flies outside a building in the city center damaged by Russian shelling, Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast, northeastern Ukraine. (Ilustrative purposes only) (Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Russian attacks against the Sumy and Kherson oblasts on Dec. 19injured six residents, including three children, local officials reported.
A 28-year-old woman and her three daughters, aged two, four, and nine, were injured in a Russian drone attack against Kherson, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
In Sumy Oblast, a resident of the Esman village was wounded and hospitalized following Russian artillery and rocket strikes against the area, the regional military said.
Another civilian was reportedly hospitalized following Russian shelling of the Krasnopillia village at 8:25 p.m.
Sumy Oblast in Ukraine's northeast is a common target of Russian cross-border strikes, as well as incursions by Russian sabotage groups.
Southern Kherson Oblast is also regularly targeted, as the region's part east of the Dnipro River remains under Russian occupation.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Dominic Culverwell
