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.
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.
Oil storage tanks sit illuminated by electric light at the "TANECO" refining and petrochemical plant, operated by Tatneft OAO, in Nizhnekamsk, Russia, on July 30, 2015. Illustrative purposes. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Turkish imports of Russian oil have quietly plummeted since harsher sanctions were imposed earlier this year, the Moscow Times reported on Feb. 27.
The U.S. and U.K. passed sweeping sanctions against Russia's oil sector on Jan. 10, particularly targeting Moscow's "shadow fleet" of tankers.
Shipments of Russian Urals, the country's flagship crude oil, have dropped to a low not seen since December 2022. Turkish imports of Russian Urals fell to 0.24 million tons in February, down from 1.56 million tons in January, the Moscow Times reported.
Turkey's top refiner, Turkiye Petrol Rafinerileri (Tupras), has stopped accepting shipments of Russian crude, demanding that they comply with the $60 per barrel G7 price cap, Reuters reported earler this month. The change in policy began after the Jan. 10 sanctions.
The drop in Turkish demand for Russian oil has impacted operations at Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, major Russian oil and gas companies, and has affected over 180 tankers of the so-called "shadow fleet," a large group of vessels Russia uses to circumvent Western sanctions.
Amid sanctions on Russian oil, Turkey has sought to import from other producers. Turkish imports of oil from Africa reached a five-year high in February.
Turkish imports of Nigerian Forcados Blend oil reached 0.26 million tons in February, the highest amount the nation has purchased from Nigeria since 2020. The country imported 0.36 million tons of Libyan Es Sider and Amna grade oil in February compared to only 80,000 tons in January — a fourfold increase.
Turkey has been long singled out as one of the main facilitators of circumventing sanctions imposed on Russia by the West over the invasion of Ukraine. In November 2024, the European Union's anti-fraud agency opened an investigation into the possible exporting of rebranded Russian oil via Turkey into the EU.
Turkey, a member of NATO, has been pursuing a standalone Russia policy since Russia's full-scale invasion began, retaining a mediator role between Russia, Ukraine, and the West.
Russian and U.S. officials held talks in Istanbul on Feb. 27, their second round of direct discussions this month. Ukraine was not a topic of the discussion, the U.S. State Department said.
Volodymyr Ivanyshyn is a news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He is pursuing an Honors Bachelor of Arts at the University of Toronto, majoring in political science with a minor in anthropology and human geography. Volodymyr holds a Certificate in Business Fundamentals from Rotman Commerce at the University of Toronto. He previously completed an internship with The Kyiv Independent.
Kate Tsurkan
