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."
The aftermath of Russian strikes against the port of Izmail in Odesa Oblast on Aug. 2, 2023. (Source: Governor Oleh Kiper/Telegram)
The Russian night strike against Odesa Oblast targeted Ukraine's Danube River port of Izmail, causing substantial damage to grain warehouses and other infrastructure, the Prosecutor General's Office and the Defense Ministry reported on Aug. 2.
"Another elevator in the port of Izmail, Odesa (Oblast), was damaged by Russians. Ukrainian grain has the potential to feed millions of people worldwide," the Defense Ministry wrote on Twitter.
The Prosecutor General's Office reported that apart from the grain elevator, the drone strike damaged or destroyed grain warehouses, administrative buildings, a container in one of the loading terminals, and other buildings.
The released footage shows emergency services liquidating fires, as well as extensive damage done to the buildings. According to Reuters, an industry source confirmed that the level of damage in Izmail is "serious."
Ukrainian officials reported on drone strikes against Odesa Oblast earlier on Aug. 2. According to Governor Oleh Kiper, some of the drones were shot down but others managed to hit port and industrial infrastructure, starting a fire and damaging a grain elevator.
So far, no casualties have been reported, Kiper said.
The aftermath of a Russian drone strike against the port of Izmail, Odesa Oblast, on Aug. 2, 2023. (Source: General Prosecutor's Office)
The aftermath of a Russian drone strike against the port of Izmail, Odesa Oblast, on Aug. 2, 2023. (Source: General Prosecutor's Office)
The aftermath of a Russian drone strike against the port of Izmail, Odesa Oblast, on Aug. 2, 2023. (Source: Defense Ministry)
The aftermath of a Russian drone strike against the port of Izmail, Odesa Oblast, on Aug. 2, 2023. (Source: General Prosecutor's Office)
Izmail, lying across the Danube River from Romania, became an important conduit for Ukrainian grain exports following Russia's unilateral termination of the Black Sea Grain Initiative on July 17.
Commenting on the strikes, head of the Presidential Office Andrii Yermak called for tougher international sanctions against Russia so that it cannot produce arms with which it attacks Ukraine.
"They (Russia) want to increase the quantity (of these arms) to kill people, destroy infrastructure, and start famine in the countries of the Global South," Yermak wrote on his Telegram channel.
Russia has intensified its strikes against Ukraine's agricultural infrastructure, ports, and grain stockpiles following its withdrawal from the grain deal.
The attacks have further exacerbated fears about food security worldwide as Ukraine is one of the world's leading producers of grain and other agricultural products. Bloomberg reported that wheat prices jumped up after the attack against Izmail.
Russia has previously targeted Izmail and another Danube port Reni on July 24.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Timothy Ash
