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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force Chief André Steur after inspecting two F-16 fighter jets at the air base in Eindhoven on Aug. 20. (Photo: President's Office)
Ukraine will not consider giving away part of the country's territory to Russia in some kind of "exchange” as a part of a potential peace deal, president Volodymyr Zelensky said during a press conference with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Aug. 20 in Eindhoven.
In Zelensky's words, negotiations with the Kremlin can only take place on the basis of the peace plan earlier proposed by Ukraine.
“We've indicated how we see the peace (with Russia) and are ready for an open discussion,” said Zelensky, who added that a peace agreement is possible only if Ukraine fully restores the country's territorial integrity, including Donbas region and Crimean peninsula.
Zelensky, as well as other top Ukrainian officials, reacted with indignation after Stian Jenssen, chief of staff of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, floated the idea of Ukraine giving up some of its currently occupied territory in exchange for joining the NATO alliance.
Jenssen later walked back on his statements, which contradict public Western consensus which continues to back a peace formula based on full respect for Ukrainian sovereignty, as was discussed in recent international talks in Saudi Arabia.
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Francis Farrell
