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."
Transmission towers and power lines near a missile-damaged high-voltage electricity substation, operated by a state-owned company Ukrenergo, in central Ukraine, on March 1, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The Ukraine Energy Support Fund has already accumulated 400 million euros ($438 million), which will help Ukraine get through the winter, Ukrinform reported on Dec. 19, citing European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson.
The fund was established in the spring of 2022 as a joint initiative between Simson and Ukraine's Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko to channel financial aid to the Ukrainian energy sector. It is managed by the Energy Community Secretariat, the executive institution of the Vienna-based Energy Community.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels following a ministerial meeting on energy, the commissioner said Ukraine remains her top priority, especially in the context of the European Council's decision to open accession talks.
Simson called on European ministers to continue supporting Kyiv with equipment and financial aid to help the country overcome its second winter of war.
The fund's leading donors include the EU, Germany, the U.K., Switzerland, the U.S., Belgium, Denmark, Austria, and several private companies, according to Energy Community director Artur Lorkowski.
The combination of cold weather and intensified Russian attacks puts Ukraine's energy sector under heavy strain, especially as Russia intentionally targets critical infrastructure.
The U.K. Defense Ministry said that the coordinated Russian missile strike against Kyiv and central Ukraine on Dec. 7 was likely "the start of a more concerted campaign" aimed at degrading energy infrastructure.
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.
Dominic Culverwell
