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.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal and his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte, in Lithuania on April 5, 2024. (PM Denys Shmyhal/Telegram)
Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.
Ukraine's Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal arrived in Lithuania on April 5 and met his Lithuanian counterpart, Ingrida Simonyte.
The trip to Lithuania follows Shmyhal's visits to the two other Baltic countries, Estonia and Latvia, earlier this week.
Shmyhal said that the agenda of his talks with Simonyte includes "military-technical cooperation, support for Ukraine's European integration, confiscation of Russian assets, and increased restrictions on Russian goods and services."
Vilnius has been one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters against Russian aggression. According to the Kiel Institute of the World Economy, Lithuania's defense contributions to Ukraine are one of the highest in the world in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) shares.
Earlier this year, Lithuania pledged a long-term 200 million euro (roughly $215 million) support package to Ukraine and promised to continue supporting the country.
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.
Martin Fornusek
