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.
A Russian battle tank T-72 drives outside the Russian town of Sudzha on Aug. 8, 2024. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Anatoliy Zhdanov/Kommersant Photo/AFP via Getty Images)
Kyiv and Moscow plan to continue transmitting gas to Europe despite Ukraine's incursion in Kursk Oblast near a key cross-border transit point for the fuel, Bloomberg reported on Aug. 12, citing its undisclosed sources.
Ukrainian forces reportedly entered on Aug. 9 the town of Sudzha in Kursk Oblast, where a gas-intake station is located, which transfers gas from Russia to Ukraine and then to Europe.
The Ukrainian military launched a surprise incursion across the border into Kursk Oblast on Aug. 6, bringing regular Ukrainian forces into Russia for the first time.
Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi, reported that Ukrainian forces control around 1,000 square kilometers in Kursk Oblast. The Kyiv Independent could not independently verify this claim.
The cross-border point has been under the control of Ukrainian troops following the incursion, two undisclosed sources told the media outlet.
Any accidental damage to the facility could lead to halting supplies, another undisclosed source said.
Russian gas giant Gazprom continues to supply gas through Sudzha, with daily flows stable within a range of 37 million cubic meters to around 42 million cubic meters, according to the Russian company's calculations.
On Aug. 13, flows were back to a level seen last week, a day before the first reports of Ukraine taking control over the intake point appeared. Gas shipments via Sudzha are set at 42.4 million cubic meters, according to Gazprom's statement.
The Kursk region lies on the border with Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, which has been experiencing daily attacks since Russian troops were pushed out of the oblast and back across the border in April 2022.
Elsa Court
