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.
The aftermath of the Russian shelling of Kherson on May 3. (Volodymyr Zelensky/Telegram)
The death toll of the Russian May 3 mass shelling across Kherson Oblast and the regional capital reached 21 people as of 9 p.m. local time, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.
The attack also injured 48 people, Zelesnky said. All of the victims are civilians, according to him.
"A railway station and a crossing, a house, a hardware store, a grocery supermarket, a gas station — what unites these places? The bloody trail that Russia leaves with its shells, killing civilians in Kherson and Kherson Oblast," Zelensky wrote on Telegram.
Earlier in the day, the Prosecutor General's Office said Russian troops shelled civilian infrastructure in Kherson.
Interior Ministry reported that Russian forces shelled a supermarket in the regional capital at around 11 a.m. According to the ministry, the victims include both supermarket employees and customers.
A curfew will be imposed in Kherson from May 5 to 8, Kherson Oblast Governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.
From 8:00 p.m. local time on May 5 to 6:00 a.m. on May 8, residents will be forbidden from going outside.
The city of Kherson and surrounding settlements have been under consistent Russian artillery fire since they were liberated in November, with Russian forces retreating to the east bank of the Dnipro River.
Kherson authorities are preparing to evacuate residents if the region comes under even more intense shelling.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
