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."
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban in his seat in the main hall of the Hungarian parliament to attend the delegates' first meeting on their autumn agenda, on Sept. 25, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Atitila Kisbenedek/AFP via Getty Images)
The EU's chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, is planning to invite the bloc's foreign ministers to a "formal" council at the same time as Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosts a foreign affairs summit, Politico reported on July 15, citing three EU diplomats.
Hungary, which currently helms the Council of the European Union's rotating presidency, plans to host a foreign affairs summit in Budapest on Aug. 28-29.
"If there's a formal foreign affairs council, organized by the high representative (Borrell) the same day, the ministers won't be able to go to Budapest," one diplomat told Politico.
The snub is a response to Orban's supposed "Ukraine peace missions" that included trips to Kyiv, Beijing, and, to the outrage of leaders across the EU, a visit to Moscow and a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Orban also met with Donald Trump, a presumptive Republican nominee for the upcoming U.S. presidential election who recently narrowly escaped an assassination attempt.
Brussels stressed that the Hungarian prime minister did not represent the bloc in any way, and Hungary's envoy in Brussels was lambasted over his country's "rogue diplomacy."
According to one of Politico's sources, the boycott of Hungary's summit means to "send a clear signal that Hungary does not speak for the EU."
Hungary is widely seen as the most Kremlin-friendly country within the EU, and its past conduct has sparked ire among its European partners on multiple occasions. Budapest has repeatedly obstructed sanctions against Russia, Ukraine's accession talks, and aid for Ukraine.
Even before the outbreak of the full-scale invasion, relations between Brussels and Budapest had been strained as the EU accused Orban of democratic backsliding and deteriorating rule of law.
Martin Fornusek
