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."
An evening look at the ruins of the destroyed ethnographic museum in Kupiansk, Kharkiv Oblast, which became a target of the Russian forces, on Oct. 3, 2023. (Amadeusz Świerk)
In the coming weeks, Russian forces may scale up offensive operations in Kharkiv Oblast in an attempt to seize Kupiansk, the U.S.-based think tank Institute for the Study of War (ISW) said in its assessment on Jan. 5.
The tempo of operations and configuration of Moscow's troops in the area does not, however, suggest a major offensive "along the entire Kupiansk-Lyman line, similar to the failed Russian offensive effort in northeastern Ukraine in winter-spring 2023," the ISW said.
Liberated from Russian occupation in the September 2022 Ukrainian counteroffensive, Kupiansk has been a critical target for renewed Russian offensives, as it serves as a key logistics hub for a potential push further south or west.
According to the think tank, Russia has slowly built up reconstituted and well-rested units to intensify localized operations that began last October.
These troops have reportedly not committed substantial efforts to the ongoing hostilities, thus avoiding losses Russian forces suffered in Avdiivka, the experts assessed.
Russian units operating in the Kupiansk direction are comprised largely of the 1st Guards Tank Army and the 6th Combined Arms Army of the Western Military District, reinforced through Russian mobilization efforts, the ISW noted.
The capture of Kupiansk could help Russian forces push Ukrainian troops off the east bank of the Oskil River and set conditions for further operations along the Kupiansk-Svatove-Kreminna axis, according to the experts.
In December, the Ukrainian military warned that Russia is deploying its reserves to capture the village of Synkivka as part of efforts to encircle Kupiansk.
Ukrainian army spokesperson Volodymyr Fito noted on Dec. 16 that Moscow is moving reserve assault battalions to the area to compensate for heavy losses.
Elsa Court
