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.
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.
WhatsApp logo displayed on a phone screen is seen in this illustration photo taken in Poland on Dec. 15, 2024. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto/Getty Images)
Russia may block WhatsApp in 2025 if the messenger's management does not comply with Russian laws, Russian state-controlled news agency RIA Novosti reported on Dec. 23, citing Senator Artem Sheykin.
Russia declared Meta, the tech giant behind Facebook, Instagram, Threads, and WhatsApp, an "extremist organization" in 2022.
WhatsApp is the only company's service that has not yet been blocked in Russia. However, on Dec. 19, the app was added to the register of information distributors, which requires it to store user data and hand it over at the request of Russian law enforcement agencies.
"If the messenger fails to fulfill certain requirements and obligations, the probability of blocking may increase," Sheykin said.
"The development of the situation with WhatsApp in Russia in 2025 will depend on the position of the messenger's management on storing information about users and correspondence and providing it at the request of the FSB (Russia's Federal Security Service)," Sheykin added.
The Russian independent publication Verstka reported this summer, citing sources at Russian IT company VK, that WhatsApp could already be blocked in the fall, and VK was developing an application to replace it.
In March 2022, the Russian government blocked Facebook and Instagram. Two years later, Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, announced blocking Viber and Signal messengers.
Roskomnadzor also began throttling YouTube speeds in July, initially blaming technical issues caused by wear and tear on Google's servers. Google dismissed the claim, while Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinshtein later confirmed the slowdowns were intentional.
In December, traffic to the platform has plummeted to 20% of normal levels, according to the Moscow Times.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Katie Marie Davies
