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."
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi on March 2 said he was forced to make "personnel decisions" regarding some eastern front brigade commanders whose actions "threaten the life and health" of their soldiers.
"I continue to work on the eastern front. Within three days, it became completely clear why... some brigades manage to hold back enemy attacks and maintain their positions, while others do not, "Syrskyi said on his Telegram channel.
"First of all, it depends on the brigade's commander, his training, experience, and his ability to make adequate and balanced decisions," he stressed.
Syrskyi said he sent specialists to brigades facing problems to assist and provide expertise. He also said that based on reports from commanders, Syrskyi made all necessary decisions regarding reserves and supplies of ammunition, drones, and other equipment.
"In some cases, when the commander does not control the situation, and their actions and commands directly threaten the life and health of their subordinates, I am forced to make personnel decisions," Ukraine's chief commander commented, without mentioning specific units or officers.
Syrskyi highlighted the combat performance of several units, namely the 54th Mechanized Brigade, which took out two columns of Russian armored vehicles with artillery fire and mines.
The commander-in-chief also praised the 25th Airborne Brigade and the 47th Mechanized Brigade for their prowess in the battle of Orlivka and Berdychi and the 79th Air Assault Brigade, which repelled Russian attacks in the Novomykhailivka sector in Donetsk Oblast.
Syrskyi said that an unnamed brigade that had spent two years of continuous battles was moved to the rear to restore combat capability. According to Ukrainska Pravda, he was likely referring to the 110th Mechanized Brigade that fought at Avdiivka.
Shortly upon his appointment as the commander-in-chief, Syrskyi named the "fastest and most rational distribution" of military supplies as one of his key priorities.
One week later, Syrskyi withdrew Ukrainian units from Avdiivka, a key front-line city in Donetsk Oblast facing months of intense attacks, "in order to avoid encirclement and preserve the lives and health of servicemen."
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.
Dinara Khalilova
