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.
Andrii Sybiha speaks during the interview in Kyiv, Ukraine on Aug. 20, 2022. (Vitalii Nosach /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine's new Foreign Minister, Andrii Sybiha, said on Sept. 8 that he had recalled the Ukrainian charge d'affaires from Georgia, saying that "ambassadors of a country at war cannot be detached from the war's realities."
The current charge d'affaires in Georgia is Mykhailo Kharyshyn.
The announcement came amid deteriorating relations between Kyiv and Tbilisi as the Georgian Dream government seeks to normalize ties with Moscow.
"I voiced very clear criteria for the effective work of a Ukrainian ambassador. This means specific results, courage, and proactivity," Sybiha said after a meeting with consuls and ambassadors.
"Ambassadors of a country at war cannot be detached from the realities of war. In relation to this, I decided to recall the temporary representative of Ukraine in Georgia."
While condemning Russia's all-out war, Georgian Dream officials have also criticized Ukraine and refused to provide military assistance to Kyiv. A particularly contentious point in bilateral ties is the imprisonment of Georgia's former President Mikheil Saakashvili, who holds Ukrainian citizenship.
Tbilisi has accused people from Saakashvili's circle and supposed ex-Ukrainian officials of planning subversive activities in Georgia, such as coups or assassination plots, without providing evidence. The Georgian government has also begun investigating Georgian volunteer fighters returning from Ukraine.
Despite prevailing anti-Russian sentiments within the country, the government has sought to stabilize relations with Moscow, restarting flights and adopting a "foreign agents" law similar to the Kremlin's repressive legislature.
Kharyshyn's dismissal is part of wider personnel changes implemented by Sybiha after he took over from Dmytro Kuleba as Ukraine's top diplomat last week.
"We need young people to come to us. We will create conditions for this," the foreign minister said. Sybiha stressed that Ukrainian diplomats must act proactively without waiting for "instructions from the center" and must prioritize securing military assistance for the Armed Forces.
As part of further changes, Sybiha also filed a motion to dismiss Deputy Foreign Minister Iryna Borovets.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Kateryna Denisova
