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."
International Criminal Court First Vice-President Judge Rosario Salvatore Aitala, President Judge Tomoko Akane, and Second Vice-President Judge Reine Alapini-Gansou, who were elected on March 11, 2024. (International Criminal Court)
The new head of the International Criminal Court (ICC) said she is confident Russian President Vladimir Putin will face justice for Russian war crimes committed in Ukraine.
In an interview with Kyodo News published on March 20, Tomoko Akane quoted a Chinese proverb when asked what fate awaits the Russian president.
“Heaven's vengeance is slow but sure,” she said.
The ICC issued arrest warrants on March 17, 2023, for Putin and Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Maria Lvova-Belova for the forced deportations of more than 16,000 Ukrainian children to Russia.
Akane was elected president of the ICC on March 11. As well the war in Ukraine, she is now dealing with the conflict in the Middle East, telling Kyodo News “There are many cases that require a response.”
Lieutenant General Sergei Kobylash and Admiral Viktor Sokolov "are each allegedly responsible" for a number of war crimes, including "directing attacks at civilian sites," the court said.
At the time of the alleged crimes, Kobylash was serving as commander of the Long-Range Aviation of the Aerospace Force, and Sokolov as commander of the Black Sea Fleet, according to the court, which is based in The Hague.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Daria Shulzhenko
