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.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the press at the White House on Nov. 10, 2022 in Washington, DC. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
The U.S. is more than capable of providing aid to both Israel and Ukraine at the same time, national security advisor Jake Sullivan said at a press conference on Oct. 11.
The U.S. has swiftly mobilized resources, including sending aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford to nearby waters, to help Israel fight Hamas after a the terrorist group launched a large-scale attack on Israeli territory. U.S. forces are not directly involved in the fighting, said Sullivan, who directly dismissed the possibility of their deployment at this time.
The unfolding war in Israel has prompted some to question whether the U.S. would be able to retain its focus on Ukraine while also supporting long-time ally Israel.
"We firmly reject the notion that the United States of America cannot at once support the freedom-loving people of Ukraine and support the State of Israel," Sullivan said.
Despite concerns about infighting over spending in Congress, which has ground legislative progress to a halt and rendered the body speaker-less, Sullivan assured that the U.S. has the budgetary capabilities to provide aid until Congress returns to session.
Sullivan added Iran is "complicit in this attack in a broad sense because they have provided the lion’s share of the funding for the military wing of Hamas," but added that there is no concrete evidence at this time of their direct involvement in planning or carrying out the Oct. 7 attack.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
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