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."
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at a joint press conference with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis after signing an agreement at Maximos Mansion in Athens, Greece, on Aug. 21, 2023. (Photo by Costas Baltas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Members of the European Parliament issued a statement asking President Volodymyr Zelensky not to pass the draft law on asset declarations due to concerns the law will undermine trust in reforms, German MEP Michael Gahler said on Sept. 7.
The Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, passed a bill on Sept. 5 to restore the requirement for top officials to declare their assets, an anti-corruption measure central to talks on Ukraine's accession to the European Union.
"We support the reinstatement of asset declarations," but fear the law as it stands will contribute to "undermining trust in reform efforts," the group of nine MEPs who signed the statement said.
However, the Verkhovna Rada made a number of amendments, one of which meant that there will be no public access to officials' asset declarations for one more year.
The system of compulsory asset declarations was originally instituted as part of the country's fight against corruption following the 2014 Euromaidan Revolution. All declarations were open to the public, a level of transparency especially important for journalists and civil society.
At the start of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the requirement for submitting e-declarations was suspended and public access to the declarations was shut down. Officials have still been able to submit them on a voluntary basis.
The draft law only requires that law enforcement agencies will be able to check the declarations.
Zelensky said on Sept. 6 that he will decide whether to veto a draft law on asset declarations after consultations with Olha Stefanishyna, the deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Anti-corruption watchdogs and opposition lawmakers have argued that Ukraine's international partners are unlikely to accept the bill in this form.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Elsa Court
