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.
Russia's figure skater Kamila Valieva competes in the women's short program during the Russian Grand Prix of Figure Skating at the Megasport Arena in Moscow on October 22, 2022. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
Switzerland's Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled on Jan. 29 to ban Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva from competition for four years, declaring her guilty of an anti-doping violation.
The decision, backdated to Dec. 25, 2021, also strips Valieva of any titles and awards received after that date, as well as puts Russia's team gold at the 2022 Winter Olympics at risk.
The ban will end in 2025, which means Valieva will be able to compete at the next Winter Olympics in 2026.
At the Beijing Olympics, then-15-year-old Valieva dominated headlines, becoming the first woman to complete a quadruple jump and leading her country's team to gold.
A day later, news emerged that she had tested positive for trimetazidine, a heart medicine that can boost stamina, at the Russian national championships weeks before the Games. No medal ceremony was held then, which was unprecedented for the Olympics.
Valieva claimed that she had accidentally taken the medication prescribed for her grandfather. Russia's anti-doping body had cleared her of any wrongdoing, citing her minor age when the sample was taken, with the CAS arguing that "there is no basis under the rules to treat them (minors) any differently from an adult athlete."
Valieva's disqualification may lead to the results of the Russian Olympic figure skating team being canceled, but this decision reportedly lies with the International Skating Union (ISU). At the 2022 Games, the U.S. scored second place, followed by Japan and Canada.
"The consequences linked to the retroactive disqualification of Ms. Valieva from past events, including from the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, were not within the scope of this arbitration procedure and will have to be examined by the sports organizations concerned," the CAS said in a statement.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Asami Terajima
