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.
German anti-aircraft gun tank Gepard photographed at the Putlos military training area in Schleswig-Holstein on Aug. 25. 2022. (Marcus Brandt/dpa via Getty Images)
The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) bought 60 Gepard self-propelled anti-aircraft guns from Jordan in order to transfer them to Ukraine, the Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Nov. 13, citing unnamed sources.
The weapons originated from the Netherlands, which sold them to Jordan in 2013 for 21 million euros. Only 10 years later, the DoD purchased them from Jordan for 110 million euros.
Although the Dutch Defense Ministry did not comment on the weapons being repurposed for use in Ukraine, a spokesperson told De Telegraaf that it was a fair price at the time, and the "geopolitical situation" has now changed, which affects the value of the Gepards.
The Gepard, a German-designed weapon first introduced into service in the 1970s, was designed for use against planes and helicopters. It is also highly effective against drones, especially against the Shahed-type drones Russia often attacks Ukraine with, Han Bouwmeester, a Dutch former brigadier general and current military professor, told De Telegraaf.
Its two guns can shoot 550 rounds a minute and is a much more cost-effective counter-drone weapon than firing expensive missiles from air-defense systems like the IRIS-T or the Patriot.
Germany has previously sent Ukraine almost 50 Gepards as well, including three more on Oct. 20.
As weapons stockpiles have increasingly shrunk, the U.S. has pursued various innovative methods to continue supplying Ukraine with military aid.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) reported on Oct. 4 that ammunition confiscated from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) was transferred by the U.S. to Ukraine.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
