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.
Flag of NATO is seen in front of the Presidential Palace in Warsaw, Poland on October 23, 2023. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Kyiv should not expect much progress on its efforts to join NATO during the July summit in Washington, DC, U.K. Ambassador to NATO David Quarrey said in a comment to Politico published on Feb. 8.
Ukraine did not receive the much-desired invitation nor firm deadline to join the alliance at last year's summit in Vilnius, even though NATO took steps to tighten cooperation.
Ukrainian officials have voiced hope that the Washington meeting, scheduled for July 9-11, will bring a more definite signal.
"I don't expect a big leap forward on that mainly because of the likely situation on the ground," Quarrey told Politico, adding that London is "absolutely convinced that Ukraine's rightful place is in NATO."
"It's a question of when, not if, and our job here is to continue supporting Ukraine as it comes ever closer to the alliance," the ambassador noted.
In comparison to July 2023, Ukraine faces new challenges as its counteroffensive last summer and autumn did not bring the desired result, and military aid from the U.S., the chief defense donor, remains stalled by political disputes in Congress.
Quarrey, whose country presented a military aid package of 2.5 billion pounds ($3.15 billion) only last month, said he hopes to see the $60 billion tranche from the U.S. passed "as quickly as possible."
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Asami Terajima
