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 Russian missile shot down over Kyiv Oblast on May 18, 2023. (Photo: Andriy Nebytov / Telegram)
Russia has likely used up its missile stockpiles but has successfully established a production line for fresh munitions.
Fragments from Russian missiles suggest that they have just “left the assembly line,” Defense Intelligence Deputy Chief Vadym Skibitsky said to RBC-Ukraine on May 19.
According to Skibitsky, Russia is able to produce up to 67 missiles per month, including 35 Kh-101s cruise missiles, 25 Kalibr cruise missiles, five M723 ballistic missiles for the Iskander-M system, and two Kinzhal hypersonic ballistic missiles.
This means that Moscow successfully managed to acquire components for advanced munitions despite Western sanctions aiming to prevent that.
The Russian military appears to have changed the strategic use of its missile arsenal, Skibitsky further commented.
In winter, the shellings were targeted to cripple Ukraine’s energy structure.
Now, Russia shifted its focus to Ukraine’s air defense, including the newly supplied U.S. Patriot systems, and to disrupting Kyiv’s counteroffensive preparations.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
