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.
German Finance Minister Christian Lindner, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Chairman of the Bundespressekonferenz Tim Szent-Ivanyi, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser attend a press conference in Berlin, Germany on June 14, 2023. (Photo by Emmanuele Contini/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry said on Aug. 17 that reports on Germany allegedly halting military aid for Ukraine were a "manipulation."
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ) reported earlier on the same day that Germany's Finance Ministry was not planning to approve additional aid to Ukraine as part of budgetary savings this year. The newspaper cited obtained documents and emails, and unnamed sources.
According to FAZ, Ukraine will receive previously approved assistance, but additional requests from the German Defense Ministry will not be supported.
"The reports that Germany is allegedly stopping military aid to Ukraine are incorrect," Heorhy Tykhyi, a spokesman for Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, told Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform. "This is the same kind of manipulation as the previous reports about (Germany) halving aid for the next year."
Tykhyi said that the German budget is expected to be approved in November, and only then the level of support for Ukraine for next year will be known.
"We expect that the German government will find an opportunity to provide additional funding for the needs of Ukraine's Defense Forces this year as well," Tykhyi said.
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung also reported that the possible freezing of new aid for Ukraine has led to a "tangible dispute" in the German government.
Germany's budget for 2024 envisages military aid for Ukraine worth 8 billion euros, while the draft budget for 2025 includes only 4 billion euros in military aid for Kyiv.
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Kateryna Denisova
