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.
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.
Alleged footage of a fire in Russia's Rostov Oblast on July 13, 2024. (Telegram)
Drones launched by Ukraine's State Security Service were responsible for an overnight attack on an oil depot in Russia's Rostov Oblast, an intelligence agency source told the Kyiv Independent on July 13.
"Last night turned out to be very hot for the Russian oil depot in the Tsimlyansky district of Rostov (Oblast)," they said.
"According to our information, it was SBU drones that (caused the explosion) at the facility where various brands of gasoline and diesel fuel with a total volume of 12,500 cubic meters were stored."
Rostov Oblast Governor Vasily Golubev earlier talked about an attack on the facility, reporting a large fire but claiming there were no casualties.
"SBU drones continue to implement 'economic sanctions' against Russia's energy complex, which is providing for the war in Ukraine," the intelligence agency source said, adding: "And these 'sanctions' will only increase."
Ukrainian forces regularly conduct drone strikes and sabotage acts on Russian territory, targeting military assets, oil refineries, and industrial facilities.
A total of over 30 Russian oil refineries, terminals, and depots were targeted by Ukrainian special operations forces as of late June, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Chris York
