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.
Karine Jean-Pierre, White House press secretary, speaks during a news conference in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Oct. 26, 2023. (Anna Rose Layden/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The White House issued a statement on Feb. 3 denouncing House Republicans' planned vote next week to support a standalone $17.6 billion Israel funding package that excludes additional aid to Ukraine, labeling the move as a "cynical political maneuver."
"We strongly oppose this ploy which does nothing to secure the border, does nothing to help the people of Ukraine defend themselves against (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s aggression, and denies humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians," a statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reads.
In a letter written to Congress on Feb. 3, House Speaker Mike Johnson revealed plans to hold a vote next week on a standalone $17.6 billion aid package for Israel, excluding a proposed $61 billion in military funding for Ukraine.
The newly proposed vote would complicate ongoing efforts by Senate leaders to garner support for a broader combined Ukraine-Israel aid package.
After months of disagreement, Senate negotiators reached an agreement on the combined $110 Israel-Ukraine aid bill, tied to Democrat concessions to domestic border reforms. The Senate is scheduled to vote on the agreement next week.
Earlier on Saturday, Speaker Johnson criticized senators for excluding the House from bipartisan talks regarding the combined bill that linked domestic border security with Ukraine-Israel funding.
"(The Senate's) leadership is aware that by failing to include the House in their negotiations, they have eliminated the ability for swift consideration of any legislation,” Johnson wrote in his letter. "As I have said consistently for the past three months, the House will have to work its will on these issues and our priorities will need to be addressed."
In response, the White House suggested that "House Republicans should instead work in a bipartisan way, like the administration and Senate are doing, on these pressing national security issues."
Johnson had previously suggested the possibility that the bill that combines aid for Ukraine with border policy reform would likely be split up - an option the White House said would not be up for discussion.
House Republicans have demanded even stricter restrictions on providing $61 billion in aid to Ukraine than their colleagues in the Senate, with some advocating against aid for Kyiv in principle.
Speaker Mike Johnson previously vowed that a combined Ukraine-Israel bill would be "dead on arrival" when it reached the House.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Dmytro Basmat
