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."
Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen (L), Finnish Defense Minister Antii Hakkanen (C) and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (R) during the signing of the U.S.-Finland defense cooperation agreement on Dec. 18, 2023. (Finnish Embassy in the U.S./X)
Western countries should not rule out the notion of sending troops to Ukraine if the battlefield condition further deteriorates, Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen told Politico on March 15.
Valtonen's remarks were the latest in a series of discussions about the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine that have been ongoing since French President Emmanuel Macron said in February that it should not be taken off the table.
Macron's comments sparked a lively debate among allies, with many NATO members, including Germany and the U.S., emphatically rejecting the possibility. Macron has since doubled down, saying on March 14 that the war in Ukraine is "existential" for France and that "all options are possible."
Finland is not currently willing to send troops or even ready to discuss it, Valtonen said.
At the same time, "It's important that we not rule everything out for the long term, because we never know how serious the situation becomes," she said.
Following Macron's suggestion, then-Finnish President Sauli Niinisto said in February that he was not in favor of sending troops to Ukraine. Niinisto has since been succeeded as president by former Prime Minister Alexander Stubb, who is an outspoken proponent of supporting Ukraine.
Valtonen said that increasing the West's assistance to Ukraine is currently more important, emphasizing that "many European countries could do so much more."
Alexander Khrebet
