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 Fluxys liquefied natural gas terminal in Zeebrugge, on Aug. 23, 2022. (Kurt Desplenter/Belga Mag/AFP via Getty Images)
The EU is preparing to give its member states powers to block Russian gas imports in a bid to curb Moscow's energy revenues, the Financial Times reported on Dec. 8, citing a draft document seen by the outlet.
Despite Brussels' target to be free of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, several EU members remain heavily reliant on Russian gas, and imports of liquified natural gas (LNG) from Russia reached record heights this year.
The legal text prepared by the EU would allow member states to ban Russian and Belarusian companies from buying capacities in their gas pipelines and LNG terminals, the Financial Times wrote.
This would allow European energy firms to leave contracts with Russian suppliers without paying fees, a senior EU official told the news outlet.
The draft text is expected to be approved by representatives from the member states and the European Parliament later on Dec. 8.
This measure is a part of Brussels' strategy to reduce the bloc's energy dependency on Russia amid the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
According to a September report by the Helsinki-based Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air, the EU remains the leading consumer of Russia's pipeline gas and LNG, buying out 41% and 50% of Moscow's exports, respectively.
While some European countries have made strides in diversifying their gas supplies, states like Hungary and Austria still rely heavily on Russian imports.
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.
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