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.
"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" panel in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 25, 2024. (Courtesy: "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum)
Ukraine's capabilities for 2024 are six times higher than they were in 2023, Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin said at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 25.
Kamyshin added that Ukraine's defense industry also produced three times more in 2023 than it did in 2022.
High-ranking Ukrainian officials met to discuss Ukraine’s future at the “Ukraine. Year 2024” forum on Feb. 25, one day after the second anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war.
The forum discussed achieving Ukraine’s goals in the war, developing its defense and security forces, implementing Ukraine’s peace formula, ensuring economic growth and integration into world markets, security guarantees, the status of its military-industrial complex, and protecting the lives of Ukrainians.
"Back in the Soviet Union, we had a strong defense industry, but it was neglected for decades later," Kamyshin told a Kyiv Independent reporter at the forum. "For instance, in 2021, we produced zero ammunition. In 2022, we started producing that (ammunition), but 2023 became the year where the defense industry started running on a large scale and started making an impact on the front line."
"The first year, we lived in a paradigm of courage. The second year – in a paradigm of irony. In the third year, it is important for us to focus on efficiency. And we are carefully counting everything we produce," Kamyshin said.
According to Kamyshin, Ukraine's defense industry is comprised of 500 enterprises dedicated to designing, repairing, manufacturing, and maintaining all required equipment. Around 100 of the enterprises are state-owned, 400 are private, and about 300,000 people are engaged in the work, he said.
"No matter how much we increase production in Ukraine, the needs of our frontline are greater than those of the U.S. and EU combined," he said.
Kamyshin also noted that Ukraine is stepping up its production of ammunition, and that ground drones will be in greater circulation in 2024.
"Last year we saw drones in the air and at sea. This year will be the year when we see them on the ground. This will be the year when you will hear more about ground robotic systems," he said.
Among those in attendance at the "Ukraine. Year 2024" forum will be Defense Minister Rustem Umerov, Strategic Industries Minister Oleksandr Kamyshin, Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Vadym Sukharevskyi, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Verkhovna Rada Chairman Ruslan Stefanchuk, First Deputy Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets, and Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba.
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The Kyiv Independent news desk
