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.
The footage showing Ukrainian forces repelling a Russian assault in the Kurakhove sector on July 24, 2024. (The 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade/Telegram)
Soldiers of Ukraine's 79th Tavrian Air Assault Brigade said they had repelled one of the largest Russian assaults in the Kurakhove sector since the beginning of Moscow's full-scale war.
Russia is carrying out intense attacks in multiple sections of the eastern front, with attempts to break through Ukraine's defenses in Donetsk Oblast toward the towns of Pokrovsk and Kurakhove. Ukrainian troops fended off 29 attacks in the Kurakhove sector alone, the General Staff said in its latest update.
The Russian army launched the attack from several directions simultaneously at dawn on July 24, the brigade said, sharing footage showing the assault.
The attack reportedly involved 57 pieces of armored vehicles, including 11 tanks, 12 motorcycles, and 200 assault vehicles.
The brigade spotted the Russian equipment in advance, and unleashed artillery fire against Moscow's forces. The first tanks and armored combat vehicles were halted by attack drones operators, the military says. A number of vehicles exploded on mines placed by the brigade.
According to the statement, Ukraine's paratroopers damaged six Russian tanks, seven armored vehicles, and destroyed all motorcycles. Forty Russian soldiers were killed, and 37 others injured, the brigade said.
"After the first tanks and armored vehicles were hit, the rest of the equipment fled the battlefield," the military added.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
According to the crowd-sourced monitoring website DeepState, Moscow captured Prohres – a village over 23 kilometers (15 miles) east of Pokrovsk – over the weekend and is now attempting to encircle Ukrainian units nearby.
Following these claims, the Ukrainian military said that Russia's soldiers near Prohres are under Ukraine's fire and fighting is ongoing.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Francis Farrell
