Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
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.
A soldier writes the line ''Keep fighting - you are sure to win!'' from Taras Shevchenko's poem The Caucasus on a 155mm shell in the Zaporizhzhia direction, Ukraine, on March 5, 2025 (Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia has intensified assault operations in the Zaporizhzhia sector, increasing pressure on Ukraine's southern positions, Ukraine's Southern Defense Forces spokesperson Vladyslav Voloshyn said on March 28 during Ukraine's state-run telethon.
The Ukrainian military reported escalating hostilities and a rise in attacks on key areas. Zaporizhzhia Oblast holds strategic importance for Russia, underscoring its efforts to advance in the region.
Voloshyn said Russia seeks to strengthen its position ahead of potential truce or ceasefire negotiations. "The Russians want to get as much of a head start or advance as much as possible in Zaporizhzhia Oblast," he said.
According to the spokesperson, Russian forces have massed troops for assault operations using small infantry groups. This tactic, deployed in other sectors, has yielded some results in Zaporizhzhia, particularly near Orikhiv and Hulyaypole.
The number of such attacks has risen significantly since the beginning of spring, Voloshyn said.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast, in southeastern Ukraine, borders Dnipropetrovsk Oblast to the north, Donetsk Oblast to the east, and Kherson Oblast to the south. It is also home to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, one of Europe's largest.
Russian forces partially control the Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts. Moscow claims to have annexed the entire territory of these regions in 2022, despite failing to control the regional capitals of Kherson and Zaporizhzhia.
A Kremlin-linked official told the Moscow Times that Russian President Vladimir Putin cannot afford to lose these territories politically, making their retention a priority at any cost.
While a ceasefire and peace deal could freeze the war along current front lines, Ukraine is unlikely to recognize Russian-occupied territories as legally part of Russia.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Natalia Yermak
