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. President Joe Biden boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, US, on Oct. 17, 2023. (Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
U.S. President Joe Biden arrived in Israel on Oct. 18 in a show of support for the country amid the conflict with Hamas, supporting Tel Aviv's account of the Gaza hospital explosion a day earlier.
"I was deeply saddened and outraged by the explosion of the hospital in Gaza yesterday, and based on what I've seen, it was done by the 'other team' and not you," Biden said during a press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry said on Oct. 17 that hundreds of people had been killed in an Israeli strike against the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza.
Israel "categorically" denied the accusation, saying that the hospital was hit by a rocket misfired by Islamic Jihad, a radical Palestinian militant group. Israeli authorities later published footagewhich they say proves their account of the event.
The incident sparked condemnations from the world's leaders. Several leading media outlets say they could not independently verify statements of either side.
Upon his arrival in Tel Aviv, the U.S. president reaffirmed Washington's support for Israel and condemned Hamas' actions.
"Terrorist group Hamas has slaughtered, as has been pointed out, over 1,300 people – and it is not a hyperbole to say 'slaughtered' – including 31 Americans," Biden said at the press conference.
Following Hamas' deadly attack on Israeli settlements on Oct. 7, Israel has launched retaliatory strikes against Gaza and announced a "total" blockade of the region. According to Palestinian officials, over 3,000 people have been killed in Israeli strikes.
Biden was also scheduled to travel to Jordan to meet King Abdullah, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, and Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi. However, the Jordanian government canceled this trip following the reports of the Gaza hospital blast.
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.
Nate Ostiller
