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.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that further concessions from Ukraine during negotiations would be unreasonable if Russia continues to attack civilian targets.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson speaks during the press conference in Stockholm, Sweden, on Dec. 11, 2023. (Atila Altuntas/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Sweden has announced a transfer of air defense systems worth 1.2 billion Swedish krona (approximately $113 million) to Ukraine, Svenska Dagbladet reported on Feb. 23.
This announcement was made by Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Deputy Prime Minister Ebba Busch, and Minister of Education Johan Pehrson.
Under this package, Stockholm will transfer Robot 70 and Tridon Mk2 systems to Ukraine.
Previously, on Jan. 30, Sweden announced its largest tranche of military assistance since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.
The aid package committed to providing over $1.2 billion to Ukraine, and included 16 CB90 combat boats with weapons stations, a million rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, 146 trucks, 1,500 TOW anti-tank missiles, as well as 200 AT4 anti-tank launchers.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
