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.
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov speaks during a press conference on Aug. 28, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. ( Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine spends around $100 million of state funds daily to defend itself against Russia’s full-scale war, soon-to-be former Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov told state-run media outlet Ukrinform.
According to Reznikov, supplies from volunteer organizations amount to only 3% of all the equipment that has reached the front lines since Feb. 24, 2022.
“Therefore, it is unfair to claim…. that everything is done by volunteers,” the official said when asked about the allegedly small amount of drones provided to soldiers by the state.
“Actually, this is done by working citizens of Ukraine because they pay taxes to the budget, and from this budget, the money also goes to the army.”
In the interview, published on Sept. 4, Reznikov said he couldn’t reveal how many contracts the Defense Ministry had concluded with Ukrainian drone producers.
What can be publicly announced is that 30 new models of Ukrainian drones have been recently approved for operation, he told Ukrinform.
“The level of their production will depend on the manufacturers themselves. Everything they can produce will be ours. We will buy everything from them with state funds.”
Earlier the same day, Reznikov submitted his resignation to the Ukrainian parliament and President Volodymyr Zelensky. Lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said that the parliament’s Defense Committee supported Reznikov’s resignation.
On Sept. 3, Zelensky publicly announced his decision to dismiss the defense minister and replace him with 41-year-old Rustem Umerov, the chairman of the State Property Fund of Ukraine.
Reznikov's dismissal followed several scandals within the Defense Ministry brought to light by Ukrainian media, particularly involving the procurement of equipment and supplies for Ukrainian soldiers.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
