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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin (R) greets Malian President Assimi Goita (L) during their bilateral meeting on July 29, 2023 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. (Contributor/Getty Images
The Swedish government will withdraw humanitarian aid to Mali because of its pro-Russian positions and support for the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Swedish Minister for Foreign Trade and International Development Cooperation Johan Forssel said to the TV4 media outlet on Jan. 5.
The West African nation of Mali has been the subject of a significant Russian influence campaign since the Malian army overthrew the government in a coup in 2021. The Wagner mercenary group, headed by the late Yevgeny Prigozhin, was particularly active in Mali, and has been accused of perpetrating war crimes and widespread looting.
"When we cooperate with other countries, we also want those countries to cooperate with Sweden, but Mali's military junta instead turns to Russia and supports its full-scale war against Ukraine," Forssel said.
Mali has abstained from votes on UN resolutions condemning Russia's full-scale war, demanding Russian troops leave Ukraine, and denouncing the illegal annexation of Ukrainian territory. Mali also voted against a resolution to remove Russia from the United Nations Human Rights Council.
Forssel said the conditions for distributing aid are better in countries other than Mali.
Sweden has provided Mali with SEK 3.5 billion ($388 million) in aid over the past 10 years. Funding for humanitarian aid will cease, Forssel said, but emergency aid, such as food, water, and medicine, will continue.
In general, Sweden is reconfiguring its approach toward international aid to "ensure that countries we cooperate with do not undermine international law or support Russia's full-scale offensive war against Ukraine."
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.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
