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.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (R) and former U.S. President Donald Trump pose for a photo during their meeting at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, U.S., on March 8, 2024. (Donald Trump's press service)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump praised Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban as a "fantastic leader" while hosting him at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida on March 8.
Orban has a long-standing relationship with conservatives in the U.S. and is the only European leader who is openly friendly toward the Kremlin. Trump has spoken highly of Orban on several occasions since leaving the White House in 2021.
Trump, who is poised to become the Republican party's presidential nominee in the 2024 election, was seen making the remarks in a video shared on Orban's Instagram account.
“There’s nobody that’s better, smarter, or a better leader than Viktor Orban… He’s the boss, and he’s a great leader, a fantastic leader. In Europe and around the world, they respect him,” Trump said, calling Orban “a noncontroversial figure.”
During the trip to the U.S., Orban and Trump discussed "a wide range of issues affecting Hungary and the U.S., including the paramount importance of strong and secure borders to protect the sovereignty of each nation," Trump’s campaign statement read.
U.S. President Joe Biden criticized the meeting of the two, saying that Orban was “looking for dictatorship.”
Orban previously said that only the return of Trump to the White House “could bring peace to Ukraine,” which has been fighting off Russia’s full-scale invasion for over two years.
Trump has long criticized U.S. aid to Ukraine, a position in line with his "America First" foreign policy views. He has claimed that he would be able to negotiate peace in Ukraine within 24 hours, although he did not elaborate on concrete steps to achieve this.
Timothy Ash
