Key developments on May 11: * Zelensky ready to meet Putin in Turkey, calls for immediate ceasefire * Trump urges Ukraine, Russia to hold direct talks 'immediately' * US, European leaders resoundingly reject Russia's proposal for talks without ceasefire first * Russia launches overnight drone attack across Ukraine, damaging civilian infrastructure President Volodymyr Zelensky
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.
Western leaders dismissed the Kremlin's proposal for talks in Istanbul on May 15 as insufficient.
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.
Ushakov’s comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 11 invitation for direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul starting May 15.
Zelensky called a ceasefire the essential first step toward ending the war.
"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on May 11.
"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged in private that Russia is difficult to negotiate with because they "want the whole thing," referring to Ukraine, the WSJ reported, citing sources familiar with the comments.
"(T)he presence at the Victory Parade of a country that bombs cities, hospitals, and daycares, and which has caused the deaths and injuries of over a million people over three years, is a shame," Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.
Putin has done in Russia everything that Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had been against in Brazil.
Amid much pomp, military machinery, and the threat of Ukrainian drone strikes, Russian President Vladimir Putin has delivered his annual speech to mark his country's Victory Day parade. The Kremlin's celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union's role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, are one of the country's
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping hailed their countries' relationship on May 8, vowing to increase cooperation in all areas, including military ties.
Under former President Joe Biden, the U.S. took the unprecedented step of deepening cooperation with international courts of law. Washington has never been party to the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the International Criminal Court (ICC), and U.S. policy towards the Hague-based international tribunal has varied widely
Over the past days, Moscow's grand avenues, like every year in early May, were taken over by the growling of 80-year-old tanks and the smell of gasoline burned by military vehicles. To the delight of many locals, soldiers marched in multiple rehearsals for the May 9 Victory Day Parade in
Xi Jinping is one of 27 leaders expected to attend the Victory Day parade in the Russian capital on May 9.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev and Laotian leader Thongloun Sisoulith will not attend Russia’s Victory Day parade in Moscow on May 9.
Russia’s annual Victory Day parade is taking place in Moscow on May 9, in a week dramatically marked by a series of Ukrainian drone strikes on the city, and a dubious unilateral ceasefire announced by the Kremlin. Russia's Victory Day celebrations, which mark the Soviet Union's role in defeating
The so-called "humanitarian" truce will run from midnight on May 8 to midnight on May 11.
The Kremlin has released a guest list of countries and foreign leaders planning to attend the contentious May 9 Victory Day parade. Military personnel from 13 countries are expected to march through Moscow and at least 29 world leaders are expected to attend the event.
"I hope that my request will be supported," Chechen dictator Ramzan Kadyrov said on May 6.
Trump said that Russia has grown more willing to negotiate an end to its war against Ukraine following a sharp decline in oil prices.
Putin's Victory Day truce "doesn't sound like much, but it's a lot, if you know where we started from," Trump told reporters at the White House on May 5.
Key developments on May 5: * Ahead of Putin's Victory Day Parade, Ukrainian drones reportedly target Moscow, Russian officials claim * Ukraine strikes Russian drone control center in Kursk Oblast, Ukraine's General Staff says * Special tribunal against Russian leadership may be launched in 2026, President's Office says * Czech Republic ready to train
"It requires the continuation of contacts between Moscow and Washington, which have been launched and are now ongoing," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
The tribunal, set to operate within the Council of Europe, will focus on Russia's political and military leaders, including President Vladimir Putin.
In an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press, Trump also claimed a peace deal was "fairly close."
Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin during Moscow's Victory Day celebrations between May 7-10 and "sign a number of bilateral inter-governmental and inter-departmental documents" to strengthen Chinese-Russian relations, the Kremlin announced on May 4.
In an interview with pro-Russian state journalist Pavel Zarubin for the documentary, Putin confirmed he assesses the potential of each possible successor. "Yes, I do," he replied when asked directly.
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