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."
Civilian riding a bike on February 2, 2024 in Krasnohorivka, Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Olena Zashko/The Kyiv Independent)
Russian artillery shelled the city of Krasnohorivka in Donetsk Oblast on March 30, killing two people and wounding one other, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
Krasnohorivka lies roughly 30 kilometers west of the occupied city of Donetsk and was the settlement Russian forces unsuccessfully attempted to break into after the fall of Avdiivka in late February.
The recent attack reportedly damaged houses and outbuildings.
A 73-year-old man was killed in one of the houses and his injured 50-year-old daughter was hospitalized, according to the Prosecutor General's Office. Another 70-year-old woman was killed by shelling in her house on a neighboring street, the report said.
"Krasnohorivka has been on the front line for 10 years and remains one of the most dangerous places in the country," wrote Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin, urging residents to evacuate.
Donetsk Oblast, partially occupied by Russian forces since 2014, suffers regular attacks, and local officials report losses among the civilian population virtually on a daily basis.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Francis Farrell
