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.
Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukraine's president, during a news conference with Olaf Scholz, Germany's chancellor at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Berlin, Germany, on June 11, 2024. (Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukraine will allocate additional funding for the country's missile program, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 6.
The decision was made at the commander-in-chief headquarters meeting on Aug. 6. Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Minister for Strategic Industries Alexander Kamyshin briefed the president on the production of Ukrainian drones and missiles.
"There will be more missiles of our production," Zelensky said, without providing details.
Ukraine began actively developing its missile program after Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022. In late July, Zelensky said the program had "good dynamics."
"We are getting closer to being able to use our own missiles, and not just rely on missiles from our partners," he added.
Ukraine has continuously pressed its Western allies for longer-range weapons but faced hesitation about delivering arms that could potentially be used to strike within Russian territory. The U.S. granted Kyiv limited permission to use certain American weapons to strike Russian targets near the region's border.
The British Storm Shadow missiles, as well as their French equivalent SCALP, have a range of up to 250 kilometers (150 miles), while the Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) sent to Ukraine by Washington can fly roughly 300 kilometers (190 miles).
Kyiv has repeatedly struck targets deep inside Russia with homemade weapons, mainly with drones. Ukraine's arsenal reportedly includes arms with a range of over 1,000 kilometers.
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.
Chris York
