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."
Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a campaign rally on Dec. 17, 2023. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Former U.S. President Donald Trump won South Carolina's primary, where Republicans voted for their preferred presidential candidate, results showed on Feb. 25.
Trump, who served as president between 2017 and 2021, is currently ahead in the polls to become the Republican nominee for the 2024 U.S. presidential election. If nominated as the Republican nominee, Trump would once again face incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden in the November presidential election.
“This was a little sooner than we anticipated, and even bigger win than we anticipated,” Trump told a crowd at his election night watch party in Columbia shortly after being projected the winner.
Donald Trump also won in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. He defeated his opponents, including Nikki Haley, a former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and a former governor of South Carolina.
While the Republican nominee will be officially chosen during the Republican National Convention in July, state caucuses and primaries influence the eventual choice.
The result of the November presidential election is expected to influence the course of Russia's war against Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 19.
“If the policy of the next president – whoever he is – will be different toward Ukraine, colder or more inward-oriented, if there will be more focus on domestic policy... then I think these signals will greatly affect the course of the war in Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
Zelensky invited Trump to visit Kyiv to demonstrate Trump's ability to end the war with Russia within 24 hours - as Trump previously claimed he would.
Trump has repeatedly said that the war would not have happened if he was still in power in Washington. He would bring it to an immediate end if voted back in because he has what he described as “a good relationship” with Zelensky and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
“He is very welcome to come here, but I think he can not end the war in 24 hours without giving our land to Putin,” President Zelensky previously stated in response to Trump's claims.
Questions remain as to whether Trump's name will appear on certain states' ballots. In December 2023, the states of Maine and Colorado removed Trump from the ballot, ruling that he cannot be considered as a candidate because of the 14th Amendment's “insurrectionist ban” and his involvement in the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021.
The Supreme Court is slated to rule on the decision in the coming months.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
John Roberts
