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. Sen. Mark Kelly (D-AZ) speaks at a press conference outside the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix, Arizona on Nov. 7, 2022. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
During an interview on CBS' Face the Nation on Aug. 18, U.S. Senator Mark Kelly said that Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast could help Ukraine change the course of the war in the country's favor.
Referring to Ukraine's incursion into Kursk Oblast, Kelly said that he believes "the Ukrainians have done something unforeseeable that could really change the tide of how this conflict’s gonna play out," noting that over 130,000 Russians have been forced to evacuate regions near the border.
When asked if the Arizona Senator was "comfortable" with Ukraine using U.S.-provided weapons in Kursk Oblast, Kelly replied: "I am at this point."
"The Ukrainians were illegally attacked by (Russian President) Vladimir Putin... This incursion, and I’ll just, let’s characterize it that way for now. I don’t think the Ukrainians want to intentionally hold Russian territory for a long period of time, but this really set Putin back on his heels," Kelly said.
The Democratic Senator becomes the third U.S. Senator to publicly voice support for Ukraine's incursion into Kursk. U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham (R) and Richard Blumenthal (D) both voiced their support for Ukraine's incursion into Russia's Kursk Oblast during a visit to Kyiv on Aug. 12.
"What do I think about Kursk? Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Keep it up," Graham told reporters in Kyiv at the time. "Let these people fight. Give them weapons they need to win a war they cannot lose."
When asked on Sunday if Kelly was in favor of further lifting restriction on using U.S.-made weapons to strike military targets in Russia, the Senator said that he believe it was "appropriate to continue to look at what their (Ukraine's) needs are.”
CNN reported on Aug. 16, citing government officials, that the U.S. has thus far been reluctant to allow Ukraine to use its long-range weapons inside Kursk Oblast "not because of the risk of escalation, but because the U.S. only has a limited supply."
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Aug. 13 that Ukraine's incursion creates a "real dilemma for Putin," adding, "that's all I'm going to say about it (the incursion) while it's active."
The unprecedented Ukrainian operation hit its 10-day mark on Aug. 15, with Kyiv claiming to have seized 1,150 square kilometers of Russian territory and 82 settlements, including the town of Sudzha.
As Ukraine continues to make progress in the region, Ukrainian forces reportedly destroyed a second key bridge in Kursk Oblast on Aug. 18, further hindering Russia's ability to resupply troops hoping to fend off Ukraine's incursion.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Chris York
