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."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
Undercover detectives of National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) have exposed a deputy community development minister and accomplices for taking a $400,000 bribe, according to a Jan. 22 Facebook post by the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Neither the NABU nor the SAPO named the deputy minister involved, of which there are four currently serving according to the government website.
The official and accomplices allegedly enabled the signing of contracts for purchasing equipment and machinery in return for the bribe.
Ukraine’s government allocated UAH 1.68 billion ($45.7 million) last summer to restore critical infrastructure to supply Ukrainians with power, heat, and water in winter.
The SAPO said the investigation uncovered several officials concluded contracts at an inflated cost with predetermined businesses. The investigation is ongoing, the SAPO said.
Russia has damaged more than 700 critical infrastructure facilities in Ukraine since Feb. 24, according to the Interior Ministry.
On Jan. 21, the NABU detained Deputy Minister of Infrastructure Vasyl Lozynskiy. According to the Ukrainska Pravda news outlet, NABU has investigated potential corruption involving Lozynskiy since September. The deputy minister allegedly accepted $400,000 in bribes for the procurement of electricity generators.
The Ministry of Infrastructure issued a statement saying they “provide full assistance to the investigation” and that Lozynskiy was fired.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
