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 Talgo SA logo on a high-speed passenger train at Sants station in Barcelona, Spain, on Wednesday, Aug. 28, 2024. (Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Spain prevented Hungary from buying Talgo, a Madrid-based train manufacturer, due to its potential usefulness for Ukraine's reconstruction, the Financial Times reported on Sept. 12, citing undisclosed officials.
Madrid vetoed the 619 million euro bid ($680 million) due to concerns about Budapest's warm ties to Moscow amid Russia's ongoing full-scale war against Ukraine, the FT wrote.
The Spanish government publicly rejected the offer by Hungary's Ganz-Mavag over national security concerns, but the exact grounds for this decision remained classified.
Budapest-based Ganz-Mavag is owned by a private equity firm managed by Mol, Hungary's leading oil and gas company, whose leadership is close to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The Mol Group also processes Russian crude oil that Hungary continues to buy despite the war in Ukraine.
The Hungarian company called the move an "arbitrary decision regarding a non-strategic company." The failed bid underscores growing tensions between Hungary and other European countries over the former's proximity to Russia.
Orban's Hungary has repeatedly delayed sanctions against Moscow and aid to Kyiv, drawing ire among its EU partners. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez denounced Orban as "pro-Putin."
A Spanish official told the FT that Talgo operates an advanced engineering that allows the seamless transition between Ukrainian rails and narrower European tracks. Different gauges used in Ukraine mean that passengers and cargo often have to change trains when traveling to and from the EU.
Ukrainian Railways are currently developing a European-gauge railway from the Zakarpattia Oblast city of Uzhhorod to Chop, a town at the Hungarian border, as part of EU integration of Ukraine's transport infrastructure.
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.
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