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.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Workers repair the gun turrets of T-72 battle tanks during the renovation of heavy armor in the military workshop operated by Ukroboronprom in Lviv, Ukraine, on Feb. 15, 2016. (Vincent Mundy/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Washington is moving closer to lifting a de facto ban on U.S. military contractors deploying to Ukraine, CNN reported on June 25, citing four unnamed American officials familiar with the matter.
Such a move would help the Ukrainian military maintain and repair weapons systems provided by Washington much more quickly. U.S.-supplied military equipment that has been heavily damaged in combat has to be taken out of the country to Poland, Romania, or other NATO countries for repair, which takes a long time, CNN reported.
The policy is still being worked on and has not yet received final approval from U.S. President Joe Biden, the sources said.
"We have not made any decisions and any discussion of this is premature," said an unnamed administration official, ruling out Biden sending troops to Ukraine.
If approved, the changes would take effect this year, allowing the Pentagon to award contracts to U.S. companies to work in Ukraine for the first time since Russia's full-scale invasion, officials told CNN.
One advanced system that is likely to require regular maintenance is the F-16 fighter jet, the first of which Ukraine is expected to receive this summer.
Ukraine could have anywhere from a few dozen to several hundred U.S. contractors working at a time in the country, current and former officials familiar with discussions told CNN.
Biden reportedly opposed French President Emmanuel Macron's proposal to send military trainers to Ukraine. Macron said in early June that he wanted to finalize a coalition of countries for such an initiative.
In late May, Washington allowed Ukraine to use some of its weapons to strike Russian territory near the border with Kharkiv and Sumy oblasts.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Kateryna Denisova
