Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
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.
Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi in an undisclosed location near the front line on Feb. 25, 2024. (Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces/Facebook)
Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi and Defense Minister Rustem Umerov announced the reinforcement of some sections of the front line during a visit to the front.
Syrskyi and Umerov visited front-line military units at command posts in an undisclosed locations on Feb. 25. The visit comes the next day as Ukraine marked the second anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion.
"During the visit, we analyzed the current situation in detail and discussed the necessary further steps, primarily to protect troops from drones and air strikes by anti-aircraft missiles, as well as to strengthen certain parts of the front," Syrskyi wrote on Facebook.
Syrskyi noted that the "situation is complicated (at the front) and requires constant monitoring," adding that he emphasized the importance of coordination among the defense forces.
"Despite the difficult situation, our soldiers are bravely holding their lines and positions. The enemy is suffering irreparable losses," he said.
Russia has lost 409,820 troops in Ukraine since the beginning of its full-scale invasion on Feb. 24, 2022, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces reported on Feb. 25. This number includes 810 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.
The Kyiv Independent is an award-winning English-language media outlet that offers on-the-ground reporting from Ukraine. The publication has received international recognition for its coverage of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The Kyiv Independent
