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 EU and Ukrainian flags in front of the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, July 2023. (Photo by Thierry Monasse/Getty Images)
The European Parliament supported on Jan. 18 the resolution calling on the European Council and member states to suspend Hungary's voting rights, said Petri Sarvamaa, a senior member of the European Parliament (MEP).
Earlier this month, Sarvamaa launched a petition to remove some of Budapest's membership rights due to the country's "erosion of the rule of law" and obstructive behavior in the face of EU consensus building.
The resolution, supported by 345 MEPs with 104 voting against and 29 abstaining, calls on the European Council to examine whether Hungary is committing a "serious and persistent breach" of the bloc's values under Article 7.2 of the EU treaty.
If 26 members, excluding the 27th member who is under consideration, agree that a breach is occurring, a qualified majority of the Council can suspend some of Hungary's membership rights, including voting rights, under Article 7.3 until all duties are fulfilled.
"The European Parliament has done its part; now it's up to Member States to follow through," Sarvamaa said on the social media platform X.
Earlier this week, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who is considered close to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said he would fight against any attempts to restrict Hungary's EU rights. Bratislava's opposition could prevent consensus on Article 7.2.
Both Fico and Orban have repeatedly criticized Western support for Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. Hungary also blocked the EU's long-term budget, including 50 billion euro ($54 billion) for Kyiv, during a European Council summit in December.
This aid is especially crucial now for Ukraine as assistance from the U.S. of over $60 billion remains stalled by domestic political infighting.
EU leaders are to reconvene to vote on the budget on Feb. 1. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said that the bloc is prepared to provide support for Ukraine even without Hungary's approval.
The EU Parliament's resolution condemned Hungary for blocking the funds. It also called for a probe of the European Commission's decision to unfreeze over 10 billion euros (roughly $11 billion) for Budapest ahead of the December summit.
The European Commission said that the decision was taken strictly due to procedural reasons, namely in response to judicial reforms undertaken by Hungary.
Although Orban blocked the funding for Ukraine, he allowed other EU leaders to reach a consensus on accession talks with Kyiv by leaving the room during a key vote.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Alexander Khrebet
