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."
Piles of grain in a vessel coming from the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk in the Marmara Sea during an inspection in Istanbul, Turkey on Aug. 18, 2022. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
Ukraine exported more than 13 million tons of products totaling $3.3 billion in April, which is higher than volumes for February 2022 before the start of the full-scale invasion, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on May 1.
The growth was driven by the opening of an alternative sea corridor, as well as a ship insurance programs and the expansion of Solidarity Lanes, according to Svyrydenko.
Over 36 million metric tons of goods have been shipped through this corridor as of early April since its opening, Svyrydenko said.
"In April, we had a record export volume of 13.1 million tons since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This is 1.3 million tons more than in March and more than Ukraine exported in February 2022," the minister said.
The Unity ship insurance program, created jointly with the British government and a pool of insurance companies, has helped facilitate exports of agricultural products, metals, and non-military goods.
In addition, exports have been reportedly boosted by the expansion of the capacity of the "Solidarity Lanes," primarily with Moldova and Romania, as well as improved conditions for the rail transportation of goods to the Danube River ports.
The EU Commission presented the "Solidarity Lanes" in May 2022 to facilitate Ukraine's agricultural exports, even before Turkey and the U.N. brokered the Black Sea Grain Initiative in July of that year.
"We continue to work on increasing exports, especially non-raw exports, as this is an important component of our Made in Ukraine policy," Svyrydenko said.
"Along with the increase in production volumes and attraction of investments in the real sector, this will contribute to the development of the economy."
Liliane Bivings
