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 U.S. Capitol dome is seen through American and Ukrainian flags on the East Plaza of the U.S. Capitol on April 23, 2024, as the Senate considers aid to Ukraine and Israel. (Bill Clark / Getty Images)
Ukraine and the U.S. signed two additional agreements on May 13 to formally launch a joint Reconstruction Investment Fund as part of the deal for Ukraine's mineral resources, Ukraine's Economy Ministry said on May 13 during a briefing.
The move follows Ukraine's ratification of the minerals agreement earlier this week, as well as Zelensky's signing of the ratified deal. Ukraine's parliament also on May 13 approved in the first reading changes to the budget code necessary for the fund to operate in Ukraine.
The documents concerning the establishment and operation of the fund were signed between Ukraine's Public-Private Partnerships Agency and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), a key agency of the U.S. government for foreign investment.
The Reconstruction Investment Fund will be jointly managed by Kyiv and Washington under an equal partnership model. Both sides have declined to publicly disclose operational specifics.
Ukraine's Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko wrote in a post on Facebook that Ukraine had "completed all the necessary procedures to launch the American-Ukrainian Reconstruction Fund," adding that she had passed along a communique to Julie Davis, U.S. chargé d'affairs in Ukraine.
"There are no provisions on debt in the agreement and there is an obligation to invest exclusively in Ukraine," she wrote. "This is another clear signal: Ukraine is on its way to strategic investment."
The minerals agreement, signed on April 30, allows the U.S. special access to projects involving Ukraine's reserves of lithium, titanium, and other critical minerals. These resources are considered critical to global supply chains for the defense, aerospace, and green energy industries.
A map showing the location of critical raw materials in Ukraine. (The Kyiv Independent)
Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal previously said future U.S. military aid could be counted as contributions to the fund, but stressed that past assistance would not be included.
The agreement emerged after months of difficult talks that strained relations between the U.S. and Ukraine. Plans to sign the deal in late February collapsed following a heated White Houseargument between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump.
The final version excluded controversial provisions from earlier drafts that experts warned could have exploited Ukraine's resources. However, it does not include explicit security guarantees from the U.S., a long-standing priority for Kyiv.
Chris York,
