"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.
A captive named Umit allegedly agreed to serve in the Russian army in exchange for Russian citizenship and a monetary reward of 2 million rubles ($25,000).
Russia's Buryatia Republic declared a state of emergency on May 13 over massive forest fires that have engulfed multiple regions in the Russian Far East.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko's statement came as Strong Shield 5 exercises involving military personnel from other NATO countries began in Lithuania.
"Amendments to the Budget Code are needed to implement the provisions on funding the U.S.-Ukrainian Reconstruction Investment Fund," lawmaker Roksolana Pidlasa said.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Danyil Abakshyn of Ukraine celebrates scoring their sixth goal during the FIFA Futsal World Cup Uzbekistan 2024 Third-Place Play-Off match between Ukraine and France at Humo Arena on Oct. 6, 2024 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. (Alex Caparros - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Ukraine has criticized FIFA for an "unacceptable error" after a map displayed during the 2026 World Cup draw appeared to exclude Crimea from the country's territory.
The map, used to show nations that cannot be drawn to play against each other for geopolitical reasons, highlighted Ukraine but excluded Crimea, which is internationally recognized as part of its territory.
Crimea has been under Russian occupation since 2014, though only a few countries recognize it as Russian territory.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi demanded a public apology from FIFA, calling the oversight a violation of international law. "FIFA has not only acted against international law but has also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine," he wrote on X, adding a corrected version of the map with Crimea included as part of Ukraine.
By redrawing international borders in yesterday’s broadcast, you not only acted against international law, but also supported Russian propaganda, war crimes, and the crime of aggression against Ukraine.
FIFA acknowledged the issue, saying it was "aware of an issue" and had since removed the map. However, the Ukrainian Football Association has taken further action, sending a formal letter to FIFA Secretary-General Mathias Grafström and UEFA Secretary-General Theodore Theodoridis, according to BBC.
In the letter, the association expressed "deep concern" over the incident and referenced decisions made by FIFA and UEFA since 2014, which reaffirm Ukraine's territorial integrity. "The cartographic image of Ukraine displayed on December 13, 2024, is completely unacceptable and looks like an inconsistent position of FIFA and UEFA," the letter read.
The controversy comes as preparations continue for the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in North America and feature an expanded format with 48 teams. The tournament is set to begin on June 11 in Mexico City and conclude on July 19 in New Jersey, spanning a record 39 days.
Ukraine was drawn into Group D, where they will face Iceland, Azerbaijan, and the winner of France's Nations League quarter-final against Croatia.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
