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."
Russia's Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov arrives with his delegation in Pyongyang on November 14, 2023.( KIM WON JIN/AFP via Getty Images)
Russia’s Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Alexander Kozlov departed Pyongyang on Nov. 17 after an official visit, RFE/RL reported citing North Korea state media.
Officials characterized the official visit as “cooperation in trade, economy, science, and technology.”
Western officials are concerned about bilateral cooperation between the two countries because Pyongyang has provided over one million artillery rounds to Russia.
South Korean officials say Pyongyang has received advanced technology in the field of missile production, which could threaten the balance of power in east Asia.
North Korea is already one of the top backers of Russia’s war in Ukraine, according to the U.K. government.
The Kremlin has denied accusations that it is using North Korean ammunition in its invasion of Ukraine.
Earlier in November, Seoul warned North Korea over its nuclear ambitions and has vowed to respond to any military aggression.
Lance Luo (Li P. Luo) is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. Previously, he worked at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Hromadske Television in Kyiv. He also spent three years in finance and strategy consulting. Mr. Luo graduated from the University of Southern California and serves as an arbitrator at FINRA.
Abbey Fenbert
