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.
Olha Mantula, 78, points to a temperature meter in her apartment that reads 50 degrees Celsius on July 13, 2024, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Electrical shutoffs have caused many residents to be without air conditioning during the heatwave. (Ethan Swope/Getty Images)
The "anomalous heatwave" in Europe and Ukraine is pushing the electricity consumption in the country to its maximum level, state-owned energy operator Ukrenergo said on July 15.
Ukrainian power plants lack the capacity to cover the growing demand, necessitating scheduled blackouts, Ukrenergo noted.
The record-breaking heatwave that has engulfed Ukraine is expected to continue the following week, with maximum temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius (over 104 degrees Fahrenheit).
This has led to an increased use of electricity, namely for air conditioning, and put an even greater strain on Ukraine's energy grid, already heavily battered by Russian aerial strikes.
The weather broke three records in Kyiv in a single day on July 11 – the highest minimum temperature, the maximum temperature, and the average temperature. According to a weather monitoring website, Ukraine is at the epicenter of the anomalous heatwave covering much of the continent.
Ukrainian officials previously said that the energy situation will improve in August after repairs at some nuclear power units are completed. The country is scrambling to restore its power grid ahead of the winter while implementing regular blackouts.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, said it had lost nearly 90% of its generating capacity due to the Russian attacks.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
