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 speaks on the phone with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on June 19, 2022, in Kyiv. (Photo: President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that though Ukraine’s summer counteroffensive may seem slow now, it will pick up the pace, just like the operations in the fall.
“In the fall, we had counteroffensive actions, and it seemed that this was a slow process. But at some point, everyone saw how we rapidly began to advance. It will be the same now,” Zelensky said in an interview with the BBC published on June 22.
Zelensky said that Ukraine estimates its counteroffensive as so far successful, however, there are many difficulties, such as the large-scale mining of the land.
“In any case, we are confident in the success of the counteroffensive,” he said.
Ukraine has been conducting an intensive military campaign in Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts since June 5, having had limited success so far, with eight settlements reclaimed from Russian control.
President Volodymyr Zelensky told the BBC that battlefield progress had been "slower than desired,” adding the military campaign was not a “movie.”
"Some people believe this is a Hollywood movie and expect results now. It's not," he said.
