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 view from the damaged terminal after Russia launches a missile attack from the S-300 anti-aircraft missile system at the 'Nova Poshta' terminal in the village of Korotych, Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine, on Oct. 22, 2023. (Ozge Elif Kizil/Anadolu via Getty Images)
A 29-year-old employee of a Nova Poshta postal depot in Kharkiv Oblast injured in Russia’s Oct. 21 missile strike against the facility died in the hospital on Nov. 3, Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported.
His passing brings the death toll of the attack to eight, Syniehubov said, adding that seven more victims were undergoing medical treatment. Their condition is stable, he added.
A Russian missile hit a postal depot of Ukraine's largest privately-owned postal service Nova Poshta in the village of Korotych in Kharkiv Oblast on Oct. 21, killing at least six postal employees at the time of the attack and injuring 17.
Two days after the attack, Nova Poshta's co-founders said the company would arrange additional bomb shelters in its depots.
The Korotych depot had a bomb shelter, but the victims didn't have time to get to it as only 15 seconds passed between the air raid alert and the strike, said Nova Poshta co-founder Viacheslav Klymov, citing the wounded workers.
Korotych lies just 16 kilometers west of Kharkiv, 33 kilometers from the Russian border, and some 135 kilometers from the front lines.
The northeastern Kharkiv Oblast remains a frequent target of Russian attacks due to its proximity to Russia and the front line.
Alexander Khrebet
