Russia seems to be preparing a significant offensive in Ukraine as it is moving troops toward key positions on the front, the Financial Times reported on May 13, citing undisclosed Ukrainian intelligence officials.
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.
Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
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.
Russian Foreign Minstry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova attends an annual news conference in Russia on Jan. 14, 2022. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service / Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
The U.S.-Finland bilateral defense cooperation deal signed on Dec. 18 "threatens the security of the Russian Federation" and will not go "unanswered," said Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on Dec. 19.
Last week, Helsinki announced the deal, which strengthens mutual defense ties and gives the U.S. access to 15 Finnish military facilities, including four air bases and one naval base.
"When it goes into effect, our militaries will be able to collaborate more efficiently and more effectively. Our troops will have more opportunities to train together, and we will bolster NATO's interoperability," said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken at the signing ceremony.
A defense agreement with NATO member Norway was updated last year, and the U.S. also signed a new deal with Sweden, which is currently seeking alliance membership, earlier in December.
Zakharova said the Finnish ambassador to Russia had been summoned as a result of the announcement.
She said that the "buildup of NATO military potential" on Russia's border was a threat and claimed that the deal would allow for the possible deployment of U.S. nuclear weapons on Finnish soil.
Russia will "take the necessary measures to counter the aggressive decisions of Finland and its NATO allies," Zakharova said.
Russian president Vladimir Putin also threatened Finland on Dec. 17, saying that the country is "going to have problems" because it joined NATO.
Finnish officials have explicitly refuted the notion that U.S. nuclear weapons could be placed in Finland as part of the deal.
Finland has long had a policy of neutrality towards Russia despite being invaded by the Soviet Union in the 1940s and losing around 10% of its territory. Russia has never returned the territory.
The policy was reversed after the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with dramatic shifts in public support among Finns for joining the alliance.
Finland officially joined NATO on April 4, 2023. Sweden, which has also applied to join the alliance in May 2022, has seen its ratification delayed by both Turkey and Hungary.
Carl Bildt
