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.
The aftermath of a Russian missile strike against Avdiivka on Jan. 3, 2024. (Governor Vadym Filashkin/Telegram)
A Russian missile strike against Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast on Jan. 3 killed one civilian and injured another, Donetsk Oblast Governor Vadym Filashkin reported.
Russian forces began intensifying shelling and ground attacks against the front-line town in October 2023, forcing many of its inhabitants to leave.
At around 11 a.m., Russia launched four missiles against the town, aiming at a residential building, Filashkin said.
A 51-year-old man died on the spot, and a 50-year-old woman was hospitalized with injuries, according to the governor.
Lying at the doorstep of occupied Donetsk, heavily fortified Avdiivka stood on the front lines since 2014.
It is now one of the eastern front's main flashpoints as Russian forces seek to encircle the town. While achieving some territorial advances, Moscow's troops have repeatedly suffered heavy losses in this campaign.
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.
Francis Farrell
