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."
A building on fire as a result of Russian drone attack against Kharkiv on Jan. 31, 2024. (Oleh Syniehubov/Telegram)
Russian forces attacked Kharkiv in the late hours of Jan. 31 with four drones, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported on Telegram.
Two drones were shot down, while two others hit a civilian enterprise in the city’s Osnovianskyi district, according to Syniehubov. A fire broke out in the enterprise's premises, but there were no casualties reported.
Earlier on Feb. 1, Ukraine’s Air Force reported the downing of two out of four Russian drones in the attack on Kharkiv overnight.
The Russian military has regularly targeted Kharkiv and settlements in the oblast since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Over the past few weeks, the number of attacks on the city has increased.
According to Syniehubov, Russian troops also shelled about 20 settlements in Kharkiv Oblast over the past day.
Russian forces also attacked the village of Velykyi Burluk in the Kupiansk district with precision-guided bombs, damaging a hospital and injuring four people.
Nate Ostiller
