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.
Illustrative image: Ukrainian infantrymen travel on the Dnipro River on boats on Sept. 14, 2023, in Kherson region, Ukraine. (Libkos/Getty Images)
Ukrainian troops have thwarted a Russian attempt to gain a foothold on one of its islands on the Dnipro River delta, Vladyslav Voloshyn, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Southern Command, said on national TV on Dec. 27.
"Over the past day, (Russia) continued its attempts to land on Kozatsky Island, but was unsuccessful, suffered losses and was unable to land," Voloshyn said, adding that Russia had suffered "losses in equipment, in particular, in boats, watercraft, and personnel."
Voloshyn added that Russia suffered about 150 military losses as well as equipment, including two tanks, amid fighting in the region.
Voloshyn's comments comes amid an anticipated large-scale Russian advance in Kherson Oblast. In early December, Russian troops carried out assaults in the southern region to gain a foothold on islands in the Dnipro River delta.
Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin saidon Dec. 26 that the region was "observing an increase in enemy activity" from sabotage groups, attempting to gain a foothold.
On Dec. 26, Voloshyn said that the Russian military has been trying to advance on Kozatsky Island, Velykyi Potemkin Island, and the southern island of Zabych in recent weeks, and are likely seeking to seize a bridgehead on the western bank of the Dnipro River in order to transfer firepower there.
Kherson and other regional settlements west of the Dnipro River have been subjected to near-daily Russian strikes since Ukraine liberated the area in November 2022, pushing Russian troops to the east of the river.
Russian troops have intensified ground attacks in several areas along the front line over the past few days but failed to break through Ukraine's defense lines, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on Dec. 19.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Kateryna Hodunova
