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.
A crater left by Russian shelling in Kherson Oblast on May 2, 2023. (Photo: Prosecutor General's Office / Twitter)
Russian forces shelled Kherson Oblast on May 2, killing three people and injuring five others, the Prosecutor General's Office reported.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, civil infrastructure was also damaged, including residential buildings, commercial premises, and vehicles.
An earlier update provided by Governor Oleksandr Prokudin indicated that one of the people killed by the shelling was a 28-year-old man.
Russian forces targeted the Bilozerka territorial community, as well as the villages of Kizomys and Veletenske, Prokudin wrote.
The city of Kherson and surrounding settlements have already been under consistent Russian artillery fire since they were liberated in November, with Russian forces retreating to the east bank of the Dnipro River.
Kherson authorities are preparing to evacuate residents in case the region comes under even more intense shelling.
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Illia Ponomarenko
