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."
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk stand together during their meeting in Poland on March 28, 2024. (Denys Shmyhal/X)
Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said on March 28 that he arrived in Poland for meetings with his Polish counterpart, Donald Tusk, and other Polish government officials.
Poland has been one of Ukraine's staunchest supporters since the outbreak of the full-scale war, donating some $3.2 billion in military aid and hosting around 1 million Ukrainian refugees.
The talks are expected to focus on Poland’s military aid for Ukraine, the situation at the Polish-Ukrainian border, and "development of trade and infrastructure," Shmyhal said in a post on X.
"We count on a pragmatic and constructive dialogue and the development of effective solutions," he added.
Amid Shmyhal’s trip, Polish farmers temporarily stopped blocking one of the border crossings with Ukraine, Uhryniv-Dolhobychuv, Ukraine's State Border Guard reported on March 28. It added that cargo vehicles can pass without delay in both directions.
Polish farmers launched a new blockade at Ukraine's border in February in response to Ukrainian agricultural imports and EU environmental policies.
The two key demands by Polish farmers include higher subsidies and the postponement of the Green Deal, which aims to halve pesticide use, lower fertilizer use, and drastically reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.
Svitlana Romanko
