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."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
Ukrainian soldiers fire artillery on Russian positions on the front line in the city of Avdiivka, Donetsk Oblast, on July 27, 2023. (Diego Herrera Carcedo/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Russian forces renewed their assault against Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast and launched unsuccessful attacks around the town's flanks, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Oct. 20.
"The enemy has resumed offensive actions and does not stop trying to surround Avdiivka," the report said, noting that Russian troops suffered heavy losses.
Russia launched unsuccessful offensives near settlements on Avdiivka's flanks, namely at Stepove and Novokalynove north of the town and around Sieverne to the west, the military reported.
"Over the past day, the enemy's losses include almost 900 soldiers killed or injured, almost 50 tanks, and over 100 destroyed or damaged armored vehicles," the General Staff said when reporting on the Avdiivka offensive, but without specifying whether these losses concern only this sector.
The General Staff said earlier that over the past day, Russian forces had suffered 1,380 casualties and lost 55 tanks and 120 armored personnel vehicles across all fronts.
Russian forces also attempted unsuccessful attacks in the Kupiansk direction and in the Lyman direction, where Ukrainian troops repelled attacks near the village of Makiivka, the military said.
Failed Russian attacks were also reported near Klishchiivka in the Bakhmut direction and in the Marinka and Shakhtarske directions.
Moscow's troops intensified their attacks at Avdiivka – a heavily fortified Ukrainian-held town a few kilometers north of Donetsk – last week in an effort to encircle the settlement. The renewed offensive was accompanied by heavy shelling of civilian areas.
Kyiv reported that Russian forces have suffered heavy casualties in both manpower and equipment during these attacks. The U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) reported on Oct. 16 that Russia had "marginally advanced" near Avdiivka but noted that the pace of the assault had slowed down.
According to the U.K. Defense Ministry, the Avdiivka assault is the most significant offensive operation undertaken by Russia since at least January 2023.
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.
Martin Fornusek
