Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
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.
French President Emmanuel Macron walking at Sophia Square on May 10, 2025 in Kyiv. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin's proposal for direct peace talks with Ukraine is "a first step, but not enough," French President Emmanuel Macron said on May 11.
Putin earlier extended an invitation to hold direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul on May 15, saying "Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions."
"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations," Macron told reporters at the Polish-Ukrainian border, according to Agence France Presse (AFP).
Putin is "looking for a way out, but he still wants to buy time," he said.
Macron's remarks come after his May 10 visit to Kyiv alongside U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk. The European leaders' historic joint visit represented a strong show of solidarity with Ukraine amid intensifying Russian attacks and Russia's ultranationalist Victory Day celebrations.
Ukraine and its key European allies issued a joint statement demanding Russia accept a full, unconditional ceasefire of 30 days beginning May 12. The proposal is backed by U.S. President Donald Trump and the European Union.
The nations pledged to enact harsh sanctions on Russia's banking and energy sectors if Moscow does not accept the ceasefire.
Putin has not agreed to the ceasefire proposal, though he suggested a "lasting peace" could be negotiated during the Istanbul talks. Russia has consistently rejected calls for an unconditional ceasefire in the full-scale war against Ukraine.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Kate Tsurkan
