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."
Slovakia's new Prime Minister, Robert Fico, in Prague on Nov. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
Slovakia should prepare for "the end of the war in Ukraine and for the standardization of Slovak-Russian relations," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Nov. 30.
Speaking to both the U.S. and Russian ambassadors to Slovakia in Bratislava, Fico said that although Slovak foreign policy is influenced by its membership in both the EU and NATO, it has certain "sovereign positions."
These positions "are not always in line with the policy of one single correct opinion promoted in the European Union," Fico said.
Fico's priority in the sphere of foreign policy is to implement "the protection and promotion of Slovak national interests," which support "peace initiatives," and not war in Ukraine.
Robert Fico's SMER party won the parliamentary elections on Sept. 30 on a populist platform that promised to immediately end all military aid to Ukraine.
By Oct. 11, the party had formed a coalition government with the left-wing Hlas party and the ultra-nationalist Slovak National Party.
In early November, the newly-appointed government rejected delivering a 40.3-million-euro ($43.2 million) military aid package for Ukraine that had been proposed by its predecessor.
Under its previous government, Slovakia provided Ukraine with extensive humanitarian and military assistance, including artillery, fighter jets, and other support.
During a state visit to Prague on Nov. 24, Fico claimed the Russian invasion of Ukraine constituted a frozen conflict that cannot be solved by sending arms to Ukraine.
Asami Terajima
