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."
Mikhail Fridman attends the plenary session of the Congress of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP) on the sidelines of Russian Business Week in Moscow in March 2017. (Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky implemented on Nov. 7 the decision by the National Security and Defense Council to sanction nine companies linked to Russian oligarch Mikhail Fridman.
Restrictive measures in the form of blocking assets, preventing the withdrawal of capital, and increasing the capital of Ukrainian subsidiaries for 10 years have been imposed on Sogeral Foundation, Haberfield Ltd., CTF Holdings SA, Slavisilla Holdings Ltd., and Dendar Investment Fund Ltd.
Two-year sanctions were slapped on Alfa Finance Holdings Ltd., Erasmony Ltd., Rissa Investments Ltd., and International Distribution Systems Ltd.
Rissa Investments and International Distribution Systems control Ukraine's largest producer of mineral waters, IDS Ukraine, Ukrainska Pravda noted.
Fridman is currently under international sanctions and was arrested in the U.K. in December 2022 before being released on bail.
Investigative reporters discovered in May that his companies are providing services to the Russian government and military amid the ongoing full-scale invasion.
In September, the SBU announced that Fridman was under suspicion of financing the overthrow of constitutional order and seizure of power.
Although Fridman's Sens Bank was nationalized in July, the Ukrainian think tank StateWatch noted that the oligarch continues to directly or indirectly hold shares in the mobile operator Kyivstar, bottled water producers Morshinska and Myrhorodska, and other companies.
Glib Kanievskyi
