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."
Widespread blackouts in Kyiv on Oct. 11, 2022 after Russian attacks on critical infrastructure. (Photo for illustrative purposes) (Eugene Kotenko/AFP via Getty Images)
Russian attacks hit energy infrastructure in several locations in Ukraine, leaving thousands without power in six different oblasts, Ukraine's Energy Ministry said on Nov. 11.
In Sumy Oblast, Russian shelling struck a substation, causing equipment to catch fire, which was put out by Ukraine's State Emergency Service. More than 2,500 people lost access to power in the oblast. It is unclear if that was due to the Nov. 11 attacks or if it was the result of earlier Russian strikes.
Russian shelling caused a power transmission line in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to disconnect, leaving more than 1,000 people without electricity.
In Kharkiv Oblast, more than 1,600 people were left without power after Russian strikes caused overhead electrical lines to disconnect.
Russian attacks caused power outages in 12 communities in Donetsk Oblast and 18 in Chernihiv Oblast.
Repair work was underway across the affected regions, and power was restored for more than 3,600 people over the past day.
The ministry said that "the amount of electricity produced is sufficient to fully meet the needs of consumers and industry."
Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said on Nov. 6 that Ukraine's energy infrastructure had been attacked 60 times in recent weeks.
As Ukraine braces for an uptick in Russian strikes against the energy grid in winter, preparations are being made to mitigate the damage and defend critical infrastructure.
Russia began a campaign of mass strikes on Ukraine's energy system last year on Oct. 10 and continued to target the power system until spring, bringing the heating and power networks to a near-total collapse.
President Volodymyr Zelensky approved on Nov. 7 a plan by the National Security and Defense Council proposed the same day for stabilizing Ukraine's energy sector in preparation for the coming winter months.
Dominic Culverwell
