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.
Trucks stand in line in Medyka, Poland, amid an ongoing blockade by Polish truckers on Nov. 23, 2023. (Dominika Zarzycka/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Polish farmers have suspended their blockade at the Medyka-Shehyni border crossing for the Christmas period, Ukraine's State Border Service announced on Dec. 24.
Polish Agriculture Minister Czeslaw Siekierski and Deputy Agriculture Minister Michal Kolodziejczak met the farmers for talks on Dec. 23.
The Polish Agriculture Ministry then announced that the farmers had agreed to suspend their protest over the Christmas period. Truckers continue to block three other border crossings.
"After the New Year, we will sit down at the table to work out the expected solutions together," Kolodziejczak said on X.
Polish truckers began blocking border crossing points with Ukraine in early November in protest of the EU's liberalization of transit rules for their Ukrainian counterparts, claiming that the influx of Ukrainian drivers harmed their livelihoods.
Ukrainian officials and industry representatives deny the accusations.
The blockade has left thousands of Ukrainian truckers stranded in long lines in freezing temperatures. Over 4,000 trucks were waiting in line to enter Ukraine from Poland on Dec. 23, according to Border Guard Service spokesman Andrii Demchenko.
Ukrainian and Polish officials sought possible solutions to the protests during the visit by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski to Kyiv on Dec. 22.
According to Sikorski, the final details of an agreement between Poland and Ukraine are being worked out, which could unblock the border. Polish Deputy Infrastructure Minister Pawel Gancarz came to Kyiv with Sikorski for talks on the issue.
Gancarz said in Kyiv that he hopes "the problem will be solved before Christmas," Polish media outlet Wiadomosci reported.
Dinara Khalilova
