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."
The Tylihulska Wind Power Plant near Mykolaiv, Ukraine, in a photo posted on May 22, 2023. (DTEK)
The Ukrainian energy conglomerate DTEK said on Dec. 4 that it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas on a project to construct what would be the largest wind farm in Eastern Europe.
The Tylihulska Wind Power Plantproject, which will involve an investment of more than 650 million euros ($702 million), is a joint venture that includes DTEK, the Ukrainian and Danish governments, and Western banks.
The first phase of the project, which was financed by a 200 million euro ($216 million) investment from DTEK, became operational in May 2023 and consists of 19 Vestas-supplied wind turbines at a wind farm in Mykolaiv Oblast. DTEK described it as the "world’s only wind farm being built in a major conflict zone."
The plans for the second phase will consist of the delivery of 64 new wind turbines from Vestas, which is expected in the second half of 2024.
If the project comes to fruition, the wind farm will have a total of 84 wind turbines and be able to provide power for 900,000 homes, DTEK said.
"The Tyligulska windfarm will significantly increase the stability of our energy system, help strengthen the country's energy security, and enable Ukraine to become a decarbonization leader that can act as an energy hub for Europe," said DTEK CEO Maksym Timchenko.
"This is further evidence of Western investors’ strong confidence in DTEK Group as (a) responsible partner in Ukraine."
In turn, Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen said, "Infrastructure projects of this size in Ukraine currently require additional risk guarantees, and we believe supporting a project as ambitious as this can re-emphasize the EU‘s support to Ukraine. I want to recognize the visionary leadership of DTEK – thank you for the trust you have in Vestas”.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Katie Marie Davies
