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.
An apartment building in Sumy, Ukraine, damaged by a Russian drone strike on July 3, 2023. (Sumy Oblast Military Administration/Telegram)
The death toll of Russia's July 3 drone attack on the northern city of Sumy has risen to three, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
"Three people died (yesterday at 10 p.m., the rescuers found a body of a woman in the rubble), 21 are wounded," the administration wrote on Telegram.
On July 3, the officials reported that four people were hospitalized, two of whom are in intensive care.
Russia launched four Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones at the city's center at 10:49 a.m. local time. The attack reportedly damaged two apartment buildings and an administrative building.
Sumy, which lies around 50 kilometers from the Russian border, is home to 250,000 residents. Russian forces regularly target Sumy Oblast, resulting in civilian casualties and damage to infrastructure.
Russia has used Shahed-type drones, produced and supplied by Iran, to attack Ukraine since last fall, killing dozens of civilians and heavily damaging the country's energy system.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Francis Farrell
