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."
A meeting of the United Nations Security Council on Feb. 29, 2016, in New York, United States. (Michael Gottschalk/Photothek via Getty Images)
The United Nations added Russia to a global list of offenders for killing 136 children in Ukraine in 2022, according to a report to the UN Security Council obtained by Reuters.
Reuters cited the UN chief saying Russian forces and associated groups are confirmed to have maimed 518 children and conducted 480 attacks on Ukrainian schools and hospitals. Russia's military also used 91 children as human shields, according to the report.
According to the Ukrainian government's portal Children of War, Russia's full-scale invasion has killed 490 children and wounded 1,028 as of June 22. Russia has also forcibly relocated almost 20,000 Ukrainian children, with only 373 having managed to return home.
The UN also accused the Ukrainian military of allegedly killing 80 children, injuring 175, and carrying out 212 attacks on schools and hospitals, Reuters wrote. It's unclear if the organization's report considered the evidence of the intention of purported attacks.
Ukraine wasn't added to the global list of offenders. Kyiv hasn't commented on this part of the report.
Every year, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres delivers a report to the Security Council on children and armed conflict covering killings, maiming, sexual violence, deportation or recruitment of children, denial of aid access, and attacks on schools and hospitals.
The report was written by Virginia Gamba, Guterres' special representative for children and armed conflict, according to Reuters. Last month, Gamba reportedly visited Ukraine and Russia, where she met with Maria Lvova-Belova, the Russian official allegedly overseeing the forced deportations of Ukrainian children to Russia.
On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Lvova-Belova and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
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.
Daria Shulzhenko
