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."
Members of the Yemeni Coast Guard affiliated with the Houthi rebel group patrol the sea on Jan. 4, 2024.
Houthi rebels mistakenly targeted a tanker from an undisclosed country on Jan. 12 that was carrying Russian oil through the Gulf of Aden, Reuters reported, citing the U.K.-based maritime security company Ambrey.
The Houthis are an Iran-backed militant group located in Yemen. Following Israel's invasion of Gaza, the Houthis began launching attacks against shipping vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
Reuters reported, citing sources from the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) organization, that Houthis had fired a missile at the ship, which landed in the water some distance away and caused no damage or casualties.
Several small boats also tailed the cargo ship, but no information was provided if a breaching or naval interception was attempted.
The militaries of the U.S. and U.K. launched strikes against multiple targets in Houthi-controlled regions of Yemen on Jan. 11 in response to Houthi attacks on Red Sea ships, U.S. President Joe Biden said.
Russia, which has close ties with the Houthi benefactors Iran, requested an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on the following day.
Martin Fornusek
