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.
155mm shells lie in a row in the direction of Marinka, Ukraine on July 24, 2024. (Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
A few issues have been reported with some of the artillery shells received through the Czech initiative, according to German publication Handelsblatt, which cited a letter from Kyiv to Prague.
Czechia unveiled the international initiative earlier this year amid Ukraine's shell shortages caused largely by delays in U.S. assistance.
Through the initiative, Prague had identified 500,000 155 mm shells and 300,000 122 mm shells outside Europe that could be bought and sent to Ukraine after the necessary funds were allocated to the initiative.
A small portion of the received shells have exploded prematurely during combat, leading to injuries and damage to artillery systems. Approximately 0.05% of nearly 35,000 artillery shells had this issue, with five out of every 10,000 breaking prematurely.
According to Ukrainian officials, the malfunctions were due to older detonators from World War II, resulting in "numerous explosions at a distance of 20 to 60 meters from the muzzle."
President Volodymyr Zelensky has previously expressed gratitude for Czech President Petr Pavel’s initiative and support. Czechia’s support for Ukraine has gone beyond artillery ammunition. The country was the first one to provide main battle tanks to Ukraine, in addition to helicopters, multiple rocket launchers, armored vehicles, and more.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Kateryna Hodunova
