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.
A fire rising in Russia's Voronezh Oblast after a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Sept. 7, 2024. (Crimean Wind/Telegram)
Drones operated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) struck an ammunition and military equipment warehouse in Russia's Voronezh Oblast overnight on Sept. 7, a source in the SBU told the Kyiv Independent.
Authorities in the Russian region reported a drone attack and a fire at an unspecified facility earlier in the day. Local Telegram channels said that ammunition storage near the village of Soldatskoye caught fire, a claim corroborated by the SBU source.
Soldatskoye lies around 70 kilometers (over 40 miles) south of Voronezh and over 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of the Ukrainian border.
"This warehouse was actively used by Russia to supply materiel to (Russian forces) in Ukraine, which is why it was targeted by SBU drones," the source said.
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A fire rising in Russia's Voronezh Oblast after a Ukrainian drone attack overnight on Sept. 7, 2024. (Crimean Wind/Telegram)
The drone strike reportedly led to chain explosions of the stored ammunition and at least four powerful fires.
A Ukrainian official said that the attack destroyed North Korean missiles that Pyongyang supplied to Russia for war against Ukraine. Moscow has deployed North Korean ballistic missiles such as KN-23 and KN-24 in attacks against Ukrainian cities.
"The same fate awaits Iranian missiles," said Andrii Kovalenko, the head of the Center for Countering Disinformation, referring to recent reports that Tehran has also sent ballistic missiles to Russia.
The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the claims.
Residents of several settlements in the Ostrogozhsky district are being temporarily evacuated, Voronezh Oblast Governor Alexander Gusev said. He urged residents not to approach the site of the fire or share images of its location.
Gusev reported a similar attack in the Ostrogozhsky district on Aug. 24, also resulting in fires and explosions. Russian Telegram channels later said that the drones struck an ammunition depot in Ostrogozhsk.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
