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.
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.
A view of the U.S. Embassy on January 24, 2022, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article previously said that the U.S. Embassy advised Ukrainians with dual citizenship not to leave Ukraine. In fact, the Embassy advised them not to travel to the country.
As of June 1, Ukraine may no longer allow men with dual U.S.-Ukrainian citizenship aged between 18 and 60 to leave the country, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said on June 4.
The Ukrainian government reportedly eliminated the "residence abroad" exception that previously allowed certain Ukrainian males with dual citizenship to travel abroad.
American embassy officials advised men with dual citizenship not to travel to Ukraine.
"If you are in Ukraine and cannot leave the country, shelter in place and obey all local orders," the statement read.
With some exceptions, Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving Ukraine during the war while martial law is in effect.
Kyiv does not recognize dual U.S.-Ukrainian citizenship. Therefore, men with dual status are subject to the same mobilization measures as other Ukrainian citizens.
"Previously, dual U.S.-Ukrainian citizens in this group could enter and then depart Ukraine if they had deregistered their Ukrainian residency and registered their U.S. residency," the Embassy statement reads.
"According to our information, this exception was revoked as of June 1."
In the weeks following the passage of the new mobilization law, Western countries with significant Ukrainian refugee populations have promised to help Ukraine address draft evasion.
Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz said on April 24 that "many Poles are outraged when they see young Ukrainian men in hotels and cafes, and they hear how much effort we have to make to help Ukraine." Warsaw had reportedly offered to help Ukraine identify refugees living in Poland who are under military obligation.
Back in November 2023, the BBC estimated that some 650,000 military-age Ukrainian men had left the country for the EU since the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
