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."
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President Volodymyr Zelensky talk during their meeting in Kyiv on May 9, 2023. (Ukraine's Presidential Office)
According to the European Commission's interim assessment, Ukraine has met two out of seven conditions to launch the EU accession talks, Reuters reported on June 19, citing its sources within the bloc.
The oral assessment set to be presented this week will say that Ukraine has fully met the criteria related to judicial reform and media law, the publication wrote.
According to the European Commission's press secretary, cited by Interfax, the presentation will be made on June 22 during an informal EU General Affairs Council meeting.
"There is progress. The report will be moderately positive," one of the unnamed officials told Reuters." It's not about embellishing reality but recognizing progress, there have been prominent anti-corruption cases to name, for example."
Another EU official said that Brussels "would never adopt a negative tone towards Ukraine at the moment" as the bloc is set to highlight Ukraine's success amid Russia's all-out war.
"Judiciary reforms have seen some progress, though there are still key ones to be carried out. Not all is satisfactory," the official told Reuters, mentioning Ukraine's "anti-oligarch" law as insufficient.
On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone call with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, discussing further financial support for Ukraine and the EU's upcoming sanctions package against Russia.
Ukraine officially applied for EU membership in late February 2022, just days after Russia launched its full-scale invasion, and was granted candidacy status in June 2022. On Feb. 11, Zelensky said that Ukraine wanted to become a member in two years.
Membership in the European Union has long been a key aspiration for Ukraine. To achieve that goal, the country needs to fulfill European Commission conditions on issues related to justice, the rule of law, and anti-corruption efforts, among others.
Ukraine's progress in fulfilling these conditions has only been subject to expert assessments yet. After the oral evaluation, the European Commission will give an official one in October.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
