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."
Polish soldiers are seen during a high-intensity training session at the Nowa Deba training ground on May 06, 2023 in Nowa Deba, Poland. Anakonda-23 is the highlight of the Polish Army's training calendar this year. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
The size of the Polish military is being nearly doubled in response to the threat posed by Russia and Belarus, Polish deputy prime minister Jarosław Kaczynski said during a visit to the town of Koden near the Belarusian border on July 27.
Existing units are being replenished and three new divisions are being created, for a total of six, with a seventh being a possibility. Polish military presence on Belarusian border is being strengthened as well.
Recently, thousands of Wagner troops and heavy equipment have poured into Belarus from Russia, after the pseudo-PMC's abortive mutiny against the Kremlin.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said that he brokered a deal between the Kremlin and Wagner, for the mercenaries to be allowed to peacefully leave Russia in exchange for standing down.
Earlier, Ukraine's National Resistance Center reported that Wagner was recruiting in Belarus, with the readiness to participate in fighting in Poland and Lithuania as one of the conditions of enlistment.
Officially, Belarus and Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin have said that the mercenaries are there to train Belarusian troops.
Ukraine has said that its border with Belarus is secure and is being monitored.
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Elsa Court
