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."
A firefighter put out the fire after Russia's overnight attacks on an energy infrastructure site in Kyiv Oblast on Oct. 27. (State Emergency Service of Ukraine / Telegram)
Russian attacks on energy infrastructure in Kyiv Oblast overnight have sharply worsened the electricity supply in Kyiv, leaving available only 600-800 megawatts capacity for the capital, which usually consumes 1,000-1,200 MW, according to energy supplier Yasno.
"This means almost half of Kyiv may end up without electricity," the company stated. To prevent a complete blackout, longer power cutoffs "affecting a much larger number of consumers" will take place.
Russian forces have also damaged the main line of the energy system in Ukraine's central regions, according to state-owned grid operator Ukrenergo.
Since Oct. 10, Russia launched over 300 strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure sites, destroying around a third of the country's energy-generating capacity. Russia openly admits that Ukraine's energy infrastructure is among its key targets.
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