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.
UK Chief of Defense Staff Admiral Tony Radikin. (Photo: Wiktor Szymanowicz/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
The U.K. military chief, Admiral Antony Radakin, is "hugely confident" that Ukraine will eventually win the full-scale war despite Russia's recent tactical advances, he said in an interview with Sky News published on June 3.
Moscow launched a new offensive on May 10 in the north of Kharkiv Oblast. By the end of the month, Kyiv said that Russian advance in the sector had been halted and Ukrainian troops were conducting counterattacks.
Radakin insisted that Russia is "failing" despite the ongoing offensive in Kharkiv Oblast and Ukrainian forces' issues with personnel and ammunition shortages.
"Russia is making tactical advances on land," Radakin said.
"But you have got to then step back a little. If you go back to March 2022, Russia had taken about 17% of Ukraine's territory. Today it's got 11%. So, Russia is still in deficit."
Answering the question of whether Ukraine prevails in this war, Radakin said he is "hugely confident" it will.
"By the end of June, Russia will have lost 500,000 people – killed and wounded. We are already past 800 days for a war that (Vladimir) Putin anticipated to be three days long. This is tough for Ukraine, but we have to maintain our support."
The head of the U.K. military also said that the Russian leader does not want a war with NATO or a nuclear war.
"We have enormous overmatch because of the strength of NATO," Radakin added, recalling how Western allies downed the vast majority of the drones and missiles during the April Iran attack against Israel.
Iran launched more than 100 ballistic missiles, nearly 200 drones, and tens of cruise missiles, according to Radakin.
"I do not think our potential adversaries would have been able to respond in the way that you saw on the evening of April 13," the U.K. military chief said.
"I think the U.S. leadership and the proficiency that we have with our allies is at a level above our potential foes," he added, referring to Moscow and Beijing.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Francis Farrell
