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."
A European Union (EU) flag next to the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Nov. 10, 2023. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
According to Bloomberg, the EU is set to approve Ukraine's reform plan in May, unlocking an additional 1.9 billion euros ($2.04 billion) in financial aid during late spring.
After approving the four year Ukraine Facility in February, the EU committed to sending 50 billion euros ($54 billion) to Ukraine over the next few years.
The package provides funding to Ukraine from 2024 to 2027, with 33 billion euros ($35.8 billion) available in loans and 17 billion euros ($18.5 billion) in grants.
Ukrainian officials presented a proposal last month including investment and reform strategies, aimed at unlocking a significant portion of the EU's financial assistance until 2027. The European Commission is examining Ukraine's reform agenda intended to secure financial aid, with no major concerns raised thus far.
Some of the agreed-upon reforms include adopting a strategy for public debt management, a review of government budget expenditures, and expanding the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office staff numbers.
As of March 20, the European Commission has allocated an initial 4.5 billion euros ($4.8 billion) to Ukraine, marking the first payment under the agreement.
EU finance ministers will likely further discuss Ukraine’s plan this Friday in Luxembourg.
"I am grateful to the EU partners for the important decision to support Ukraine," Ukraine's Finance Minister Serhii Marchenko said.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Nate Ostiller
