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."
The aftermath of Russian attack against Zaporizhzhia on March 22, 2024. (State Emergency Service)
Search and rescue operations at the sites of a Russian missile attack on Zaporizhzhia on March 22 have ended, the State Emergency Service reported.
The attack reportedly killed three people, including a child. At least 29 people were wounded, including two children, according to the report.
A 35-year-old man and his eight-year-old daughter are among those killed after Russian forces struck one of the city's residential areas.
Rescue operations concluded at around 7:15 p.m. local time.
Russia launched early on March 22 a large-scale drone and missile attacks against Ukraine early on March 22, targeting Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kryvyi Rih, and other regions, primarily aiming at the energy infrastructure.
Ukraine's defense systems reportedly downed 92 of 151 Russian aerial targets overnight. Regional authorities said that there were at least five killed and over 30 injured among the casualties reported so far.
First responders extinguished a fire at a critical infrastructure facility in Zaporizhzhia. They will continue to disassemble and dismantle the destroyed structures tomorrow, according to the State Emergency Service.
Dinara Khalilova
