This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
The assault began around 2 a.m. on May 11, with Russian forces deploying 108 Shahed-type attack drones and decoy UAVs from multiple directions, Ukraine’s Air Force said.
"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved as this never ending 'bloodbath' hopefully comes to an end... I will continue to work with both sides to make sure that it happens."
Smoke rises from buildings in northern Gaza as the Israeli military bombards the territory on Oct. 15, 2023. (Alexi J. Rosenfeld/Getty Images)
Ahead of reports that the Rafah border crossing into Egypt may open in the coming days, 337 Ukrainians have requested to be evacuated from the embattled Gaza Strip, Ukraine's Ambassador to Israel, Yevhen Korniichuk, said on Oct. 23.
In comments to RF/ERL's Ukrainian service, Korniichuk said that there were likely around 500 Ukrainians still located in Gaza, but only 337 had expressed the desire to evacuate.
Regarding those who have yet to request evacuation, Korniichuk claimed the embassy is "completely powerless" to do anything, adding that he hopes the Rafah checkpoint will be open to foreign citizens "in the next few days, maybe even tomorrow."
Korniychuk also said Ukraine's embassy is also helping to evacuate citizens of other countries from the Gaza Strip, including Moldovans and Bulgarians.
There have been conflicting reports about the number of Ukrainians killed following Hamas' Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Michael Brodsky, Israel's Ambassador to Ukraine, said on Oct. 18 that 23 Ukrainians had been killed, but Korniichuk refuted that number, saying that 18 had been killed.
Over 500 Ukrainians have so far been evacuated from Israel since the start of the conflict.
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.
Nate Ostiller
