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.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi awards Ukrainian fighters of the 10th Mountain Assault Brigade “Edelweiss” in the Soledar direction on July 2, 2023, in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine. (Yuriy Mate / Getty Images)
Since Ukraine launched its operation in Russia’s Kursk Oblast, Russian forces have suffered over 55,000 casualties, Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said on March 27.
According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian forces remain engaged in defensive operations to prevent Russia from advancing deeper into Ukraine while also conducting counterattacks.
In the past seven and a half months, Russian losses have included 22,200 killed in action and 31,800 wounded. Ukrainian forces have also captured more than 940 Russian soldiers, he said.
Ukraine initially seized 1,300 square kilometers (500 square miles) of Russian territory before Moscow, reinforced by North Korean units, launched a counteroffensive earlier this month.
The Russian push coincided with a temporary pause in U.S. intelligence and military support for Ukraine, which resumed on March 11.
U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that Ukrainian forces are "surrounded" in Kursk Oblast, where Russian troops have been advancing.
Ukraine has denied that its forces are encircled, though it has acknowledged a retreat from the town of Sudzha amid intensified Russian assaults.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
