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 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 during a press conference in Kyiv on Aug. 27, 2024. (Vitalii Nosach/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Aug. 27 that he would present U.S. President Joe Biden with a plan for victory during a meeting in September.
The president said that the proposal would also be presented to Vice President Kamala Harris and ex-President Donald Trump, the two candidates for the upcoming November presidential election.
Trump has claimed during his presidential campaign that he would end the war within 24 hours if elected, but has declined to provide details of the plan.
Speaking at the Ukraine 2024 Independence forum in Kyiv, Zelensky said that the ongoing Kursk incursion was one of the parts of this plan.
The other items include Ukraine's participation in the global security infrastructure, pressuring Russia to end the war through diplomatic means, and an economic aspect, Zelensky said without revealing any details.
The president said that he keeps bringing up the red lines Ukraine's Western allies have imposed on the use of weapons inside Russian territory.
"They don't want to talk about it, and I keep bringing it up," Zelensky quipped.
"The Olympics are over, but ping pong is still there."
Kyiv has long argued that restrictions on the use of long-range weapons are stifling its war effort, while Western partners believe that allowing Ukraine to hit deep into Russian territory with the weapons they provide could be a cause for escalation.
In May, the U.S. allowed Ukraine to use HIMARS multiple rocket launchers, GMLRS rockets, and artillery against Russian territory near the Ukrainian border.
But the U.S. and U.K. still prohibit Ukraine from using U.S.-made ATACMS missiles and British-made Storm Shadow missiles for strikes deeper inside Russia.
Ukraine has dismissed these arguments and has ramped up pressure to lift the ban in recent weeks following the Kursk incursion on Aug. 6.
Kateryna Denisova
