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.
A man holds a flag bearing the logo of private mercenary group Wagner as another flag flutters in the wind at a makeshift memorial for Yevgeny Prigozhin in front of the Private Military Company (PMC) Wagner Centre in Saint Petersburg, on August 25, 2023. The plane crash that reportedly killed Yevgeny Prigozhin wiped out the entire top leadership of Russian paramilitary group Wagner but its influence is set to outlive them all both at home and abroad. (Photo by Olga MALTSEVA / AFP) (Photo by OLGA MALTSEVA/AFP via Getty Images)
Wagner mercenaries are operating only in Belarus and Africa, and are not fighting alongside the Russian army in Ukraine, the Wagner Group claimed in a statement on Telegram on Aug. 26.
The statement, which was posted on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel, claimed that "there are no subordinates of the company either in Rosgvardia (Russia's National Guard), or in the ranks of the Russian Defense Ministry, or anywhere else."
Wagner fighters are not taking part in Russia's invasion of Ukraine "at this stage," the group said, claiming that "if the situation changes, it will be announced."
Wagner units were key to Russia's seizure of Bakhmut in Donetsk Oblast in May 2023. Estimates suggest that nearly 20,000 mercenaries, many of whom were former convicts recruited from Russian prisoners in late 2022, died in the battle for the city.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the then-leader of Wagner, died in a mysterious plane crash in Russia on Aug. 23, 2023. The crash came two months after Prigozhin led Wagner troops in a short-lived rebellion against the Kremlin.
Wagner units were then reportedly incorporated into official Russian military structures, such as Rosgvardia. The Chechen Akhmat unit claimed in October 2023 that a "massive" number of Wagner mercenaries had joined its ranks.
According to a U.K. Defense Ministry intelligence report on Aug. 23, just 5,000 Wagner troops are currently deployed in Africa and Belarus, a fraction compared to its peak of 50,000 in 2023.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry warned on Aug. 25 that Belarus is "concentrating a significant number" of weaponry and personnel at the border with Ukraine, including some former Wagner troops.
Minsk is Moscow's closest ally and hosts Russian troops and missiles, but is not currently directly involved in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Chris York
