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.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin during a meeting in Russia on July 8, 2024. (Narendra Modi/Twitter)
President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 9 criticized Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow amid Russia's attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv.
Modi arrived in Moscow on July 8 in what was his first trip to Russia since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Russia launched a missile attack against Kyiv, Dnipro, Kryvyi Rih, and others on the morning of July 8, killing at least 38 and injuring over 170. One missile struck the building of the Okhmatdyt hospital, Ukraine's largest children's medical center.
While Western officials condemned the Russian attack, Modi posted a photo of himself shaking hands and hugging Putin, voicing hope for "cementing the bonds of friendship" between the two nations.
"It is a huge disappointment and a devastating blow to peace efforts to see the leader of the world's largest democracy hug the world's most bloody criminal in Moscow on such a day," Zelensky wrote on X.
The Russian military struck the children's hospital with a Kh-101 cruise missile, according to the preliminary data obtained by the State Security Service (SBU), killing at least two people and injuring at least 50.
Russia launched another attack against Kyiv later during the day, with debris damaging a maternity hospital in another district, killing seven people.
New Delhi has been calling for a diplomatic solution to Russia's war against Ukraine but has been simultaneously fostering close economic ties with Moscow. India became one of the chief buyers of Russian oil following Western sanctions, although pressure from U.S. sanctions increasingly threatens this trade.
Chris York
