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.
The seal of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seen outside of a headquarters building in Washington, DC on April 7, 2021. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have started talks on the fourth revision of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program, the Finance Ministry reported on May 27.
After the review, nearly $2.2 billion in funds may be allocated in June under the EFF, a four-year funding agreement that will allow Ukraine to access $15.6 billion in financial aid in regular installments.
The EFF is set to provide $5.4 billion in budgetary assistance in 2024, with $880 million already disbursed following a successful review in March.
"We have already successfully passed three reviews of the program and expect to receive the next tranche of about $2.2 billion due to the successful fourth review in June," said Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko.
The parties will discuss Ukraine's performance under the joint financial and economic policies memorandum.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Ukraine Business Roundup
The meetings will be in both online and offline formats. The offline meetings will be held in Warsaw.
The representatives of the Finance Ministry, including Marchenko, the National Bank of Ukraine, as well as from other government agencies will participate in the talks.
Marchenko added that the Finance Ministry, the National Bank, and the IMF continue to work on implementing the jointly defined reforms, ensuring macroeconomic stability, strengthening public administration, economic recovery, and gradual European integration of Ukraine.
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.
Martin Fornusek
