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. Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) firing a missile into the East Sea during a South Korea-U.S. joint missile drill aimed to counter North Korea's ICBM test on July 29, 2017, in East Coast, South Korea. (Photo credit: South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)
Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on Ukraine's partners on Aug. 11 to provide Kyiv with long-range missiles such as Taurus and ATACMS, emphasizing that they will be deployed only on Ukraine's territory.
"Long-range missiles have proved crucial. This is why Taurus and ATACMS are essential for Ukraine's success, and we ask partners to provide them as soon as possible," Kuleba tweeted.
"Both will be used solely inside our borders. The longer the missile range, the shorter the war."
The Ukrainian military already operates British Storm Shadow and French SCALP long-range missiles. Kyiv continues to appeal to its partners to also acquire the German Taurus missiles and U.S. ATACMS.
Ukrainian member of parliament Yehor Cherniev said on Aug. 7 that key factions in the German parliament have reached a consensus on the transfer of long-range Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has been so far hesitant to greenlight the transfer, concerned that Ukraine can use the missiles to strike Russian territory. On Aug. 11, the German newspaper Spiegel reported that Berlin is considering providing Taurus missiles modified not to be able to target Russia.
Although Scholz previously said that he is willing to send Taurus missiles once the U.S. approves the transfer of ATACMS, this reportedly no longer plays a major role, Spiegel said.
Washington has so far refused to supply Ukraine with ATACMS. U.S. State Department Matthew Miller however said on Aug. 8 that the U.S. is considering the transfer of new missiles and defense systems, without elaborating whether this includes the much-desired long-range missiles.
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.
Olga Rudenko
