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."
Illustrative purposes only: A Ukrainian flag flies outside a building in the city center damaged by Russian shelling, Okhtyrka, Sumy Oblast, northeastern Ukraine. (Vyacheslav Madiyevskyy/Future Publishing via Getty Images)
Russian forces attacked border settlements and critical infrastructure in Sumy Oblast, injuring four people, including a child, the Sumy Oblast Prosecutor's Office reported on April 11.
36 attacks were reported throughout the day, causing 157 explosions. The communities of Sumy, Khotin, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Vorozhba, Krasnopillia, Velyka Pysarivka, Buryn, Shalyhyne, Esman, Seredyna-Buda, Znob-Novgorodske, and Svesa were targeted.
A 30-year-old man and a 71-year-old woman were injured in an attack on the community of Esman at around 12 p.m. local time, according to the report.
Russian shelling in the afternoon reportedly wounded a 16-year-old boy and his 36-year-old mother in the community of Vorozhba. The attack also damaged houses, power lines and vehicles.
Moscow has recently intensified its missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure, launching large-scale attacks on energy facilities across the country.
DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, previously said Russia damaged its two thermal power plants during overnight strikes on April 11 without specifying their location.
Energy infrastructure was also targeted in Lviv, Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Kharkiv oblasts.
Chris York
