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.
Rescuers extract a man from the rubble of a two-story building in the town of Pidhorodne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast after a Russian missile struck a residential area on June 3, 2023. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
A two-year-old girl was found dead in the rubble of a residential building that was hit by a Russian missile strike on the town Pidhorodne in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast on June 3, regional Governor Serhii Lysak said in a post on Telegram on June 4.
The number of people injured in the attack has risen to 22, including five children, according to Lysak. Earlier, the governor reported that three injured boys, a six-year-old, an 11-year-old, and a 15-year-old, were in critical condition.
The missile strike partially destroyed two two-story residential buildings, and damaged 10 homes, a car, a shop, and gas pipelines.
Russia also attacked other parts of the oblast overnight on June 4. According to the governor, Ukrainian forces shot down two cruise missiles and one drone over the oblast.
Russian troops also shelled Nikopol, located just across the Dnipro River from Russian positions and from the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant that Russian forces use as a base to launch attacks at Ukraine.
Three high-rise buildings, a restaurant, and power lines were damaged. No casualties were reported.
Liliane is the business editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked at the Kyiv Post as a staff writer covering business news and then as business editor. Liliane holds a master’s degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian affairs with a focus on Ukrainian studies at Columbia University. From 2017-2020 she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine, after which she interned with the Atlantic Council’s Eurasia Center.
Liliane is the author of the Ukraine Business Roundup newsletter, which is sent out every Tuesday.
Olga Rudenko
