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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky at a flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky and a number of high-level Ukrainian officials commemorated the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha on March 31.
"This is a war for the dignity of our people and every nation seeking its own destiny. This is a war to prevent anyone from daring to become a beast toward others," Zelensky said in comments commemorating the massacre.
"And the bodies of our people, which were found on the streets of Bucha, demonstrated that no one in the world can stay away from this battle."
Zelensky made the comments at a flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community. He was joined by Head of President's Office Andriy Yermak, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Commander-in-chief Oleksandr Syrskyi, Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko.
A flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
From left: Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk, Head of President's Office Andriy Yermak, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Interior Minister Igor Klymenko attend a flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
A flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi at a flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
A flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
A flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
A flag raising ceremony at the Memorial to the Defenders of the Bucha Community in Bucha, Kyiv Oblasy, on March 31, 2024, the second anniversary of the liberation of Bucha. (President's Office)
Bucha, a suburb northwest of Kyiv, was occupied by Russian troops shortly after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.
Following pitched battles in Bucha, Irpin, and other cities in Kyiv Oblast, Ukrainian forces counterattacked in mid-March and began to push Russian troops back.
After the city was liberated at the end of March 2022, mass graves with civilians were discovered, and thousands of war crimes were documented, making Bucha a symbol of Russian atrocities in Ukraine.
The Prosecutor General's Office said in March 2023 that more than 1,400 civilians were killed in Bucha District, including 637 in the city of Bucha, many of whom had gunshot wounds. The district figure included 37 children who were murdered by Russian forces.
Ukraine also charged two Russian soldiers in March for allegedly murdering a civilian in Bucha. It is unclear whether they are in Ukrainian captivity or whether they had been served the charges in absentia.
More than 10,000 civilians have been killed and nearly 20,000 have been injured since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
The figure consists of civilian deaths verified according to UN methodology, with the actual number of those killed and injured likely being significantly higher.
The Prosecutor General's Office has documented over 128,000 war crimes and crimes of aggression committed by Russian forces since February 2022.
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.
