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 screenshot from a video released by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin's press service on June 24 in which he claimed they had taken control of all military sites in the southern Russian city of Rostov.
Wagner Group Founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has closed down his media holding, which includes the notorious "Internet Research Agency" troll factory, The Moscow Times reported on June 30.
The St. Petersburg-based Patriot Media Group encompassed dozens of other news sites, which will now be permanently shut down, the outlet writes.
Meanwhile, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked access to several of Patriot group's websites, including RIA FAN, Politika Segodnya, Ekonomika Segodnya, Nevskiye Novosti, and Narodnye Novosti.
Nevskiye Novosti informed of their closure through Telegram on June 30.
Prigozhin launched a "march for justice" against Russian military leaders on June 23 after a missile attack allegedly targeted Wagner troops in Ukraine. His mercenaries occupied Rostov and marched 200 kilometers to Moscow, only to abruptly end the rebellion less than 24 hours after its start.
As a result of an undisclosed agreement between Wagner's boss and the Kremlin, Prigozhin and his contractors were allowed to leave for Belarus. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on June 27 that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus. However, there are still no visual or other confirmations of the Wagner boss' whereabouts.
According to Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has been tasked with assassinating Prigozhin.
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.
Maria Yeryoma
