Andriy Yermak, Zelensky's chief of staff, said that the new pontiff had a phone call with Zelensky on Monday, during which the pope expressed willingness to facilitate meetings between global leaders and vowed to support efforts for "a just and lasting peace."
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.
A protester holds Ukrainian and French flags in his hand during a demonstration in front of the Russian consulate in Marseille, France, on Feb. 25, 2023. (Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Ukrainian Defense Industry, a state-owned enterprise, has signed three agreements with the French defense company Thales, according to a statement published on Thales's website on June 19.
The deals were signed under the aegis of the French Armed Forces Ministry and Ukraine's Strategic Industries Ministry, the statement read.
One of the agreements announces an intention to create a joint venture in Ukraine to boost the delivery of military gear in the country. The deal includes electronic warfare, tactical communications equipment, air defense systems, and radars.
Thales also pledges to provide extensive maintenance, testing, and specialized training, specifically in electronic warfare, according to the second agreement. It aims to develop local maintenance capability within Ukraine, as well as ensure its "best operational availability."
A third agreement was signed by Thales and the Ukrainian company FRDM, which specializes in unmanned aerial vehicles(UAV) and unmanned ground vehicles (UGV),
The deal stipulates co-developing and manufacturing "an unmanned aircraft system capable of carrying and releasing munitions."
"Thales is a long-standing partner to the Ukrainian forces, collaborating for more than 10 years, first in electronic warfare and then expanding to a broad range of programs," Pascale Sourisse, the company's senior executive vice president, said.
"Moving forward, they (the agreements) also demonstrate our commitment, through collaboration with leading Ukrainian players and suppliers, to establish a longer-term foothold in Ukraine and bolster the country's local defense industry."
France has backed Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022 by sending military equipment and providing financial aid.
Paris also wants to establish a coalition of countries to send military instructors to Ukraine, French President Emmanuel Macron said on June 7.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
