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."
Emergency services putting out a fire at an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, following an overnight Russian drone strike on Nov. 1, 2023. (Filip Pronin/Telegram)
Russian forces carried out attacks against 13 of Ukraine's oblasts over the past day, killing at least three people and injuring at least 15 others, local officials reported early on Nov. 1.
Russian attacks on Donetsk Oblastkilled one person in Pivdenne, wounded two in Yelyzavetivka, one in Novoukrainka, and one in Krasnohorivka, the regional military administration said.
In Kharkiv Oblast, A Russian strike on the village of Petropavlivka in the Kupiansk district killed a man aged around 50 and injured a 52-year-old woman, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
One person was killed, and eight others were injured in Russian attacks on Kherson Oblast, according to Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Russian forces targeted a maintenance station and warehouses in Kherson, among other targets, the official said.
In Mykolaiv Oblast, two people were injured in Russian strikes on settlements in the Kutsurub community, Governor Vitalii Kim said.
A Russian drone strike started a fire in an oil refinery in Kremenchuk, Poltava Oblast, Governor Filip Pronin reported. The fire has been put out by emergency services, and no casualties have been reported so far, he added.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Anastasiia Malenko
