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."
Illustrative purposes: Germany's Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock gives a speech in Berlin, Germany, on March 24, 2024. (Bernd von Jutrczenka/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin seeks to intimidate the West by expanding the conditions for using nuclear weapons in Russia’s updated nuclear doctrine, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said on Nov. 19.
Speaking at a news conference in Poland during a meeting of foreign ministers from Germany, Poland, France, and Italy, Baerbock emphasized that Berlin would heed warnings from Ukraine's neighboring countries.
"We will not let ourselves be intimidated," she said, adding that this is not the first time the Kremlin has resorted to nuclear threats.
Putin’s approval of the updated nuclear deterrence policy was confirmed through a presidential decree published on Nov. 19.
The revised doctrine expands scenarios that could justify a nuclear strike, including "aggression against the Russian Federation and its allies by a non-nuclear state with the support of a nuclear state" and large-scale non-nuclear attacks, such as drone strikes.
Baerbock accused Russia of exploiting the West’s fears but highlighted Europe’s unprecedented unity.
"After February 2022, the federal government said it would not repeat this mistake a second time. That's why we are here together, cooperating as Europeans and representing the strongest European countries," she said.
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.
Andreas Umland
