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.
Destruction to a building caused by a Russian strike in Donetsk Oblast on Dec. 22, 2023. (Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office / Telegram)
Russian attacks on multiple settlements in Donetsk Oblast have killed one civilian and injured six others during the day, the Donetsk Regional Prosecutor's Office reported on Dec. 22.
Civilians in Donetsk Oblast live close to the front line and are frequently casualties of indiscriminate Russian strikes.
An aerial bomb killed a 72-year-old man in a village in Kramatorsk district, while Russian artillery strikes wounded two men aged 48 and 86 in Pokrovsk district.
In Toretsk, which has been targeted for the second day in a row, an aerial bombardment wounded one 54-year-old woman and three people aged 60. A Russian strike on two mines in Toretsk on Dec. 21 killed three civilians and injured five others.
The Regional Prosecutor's Office has started a pre-trial investigation into the war crimes.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Daria Shulzhenko
