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."
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi visit command posts near Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast and Kupiansk in Kharkiv Oblast, Feb. 14, 2024. (Minister of Defense of Ukraine)
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi thanked Ukraine's allies on Feb. 24 for their ongoing military aid, emphasizing that "every shell, every tank, every armored vehicle is first and foremost about saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers."
President Volodymyr Zelensky replaced former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi with Syrskyi, who had previously served as the commander of Ukraine's Ground Forces and the Khortytsia Operational and Strategic Group fighting in the country's east, in early February.
When announcing the decision, Zelensky called Syrskyi "the most experienced Ukrainian commander" and recalled the achievements attributed to him — the Battle of Kyiv in spring 2022 and the surprise counteroffensive in Kharkiv Oblast in September 2022.
In his statement marking the two-year anniversary of the full-scale invasion, Syrskyi also thanked Ukrainian soldiers, emergency service workers, and volunteers for their commitment, adding that "today, more than ever, we need unity."
"No one (believed that we would endure) except the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who engaged the enemy from the very first moments," Syrskyi wrote.
"No one (believed) except hundreds of thousands of volunteers who stood in lines at military enlistment offices in the early hours of the full-scale aggression. Except for hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who joined the Territorial Defense Forces from the first days. Except for millions of Ukrainians who, through volunteer efforts, began an unprecedented support campaign for their army."
Syrskyi went on to declare that there will be "more burning Russian planes" in the near future and that Ukraine would push back against Russian forces "even in the air," hinting at Ukraine's long-desired push to achieve air superiority.
"The state leadership is doing everything possible for this," Syrskyi wrote.
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Dinara Khalilova
