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."
Jens Stoltenberg, outgoing secretary general of NATO, left, and Mark Rutte, incoming secretary general during a transition ceremony at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024 (Ksenia Kuleshova/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
NATO has to ensure that Ukraine "prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation," Mark Rutte said on Oct. 1, as he took the helm as the new secretary general of the military alliance.
Speaking alongside the outgoing Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Rutte praised his predecessor's achievements during his tenure.
"You’ve already mentioned the priorities you’ve been working on and these priorities we’ll take forward in the future — Ukraine," he said.
"We have to make sure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic nation."
Rutte added that NATO members have to "spend more" in order to "increase our collective defense," adding: "NATO’s partnerships… have to go wider, and deeper, given all the insecurities in the world."
Answering questions from reporters, Rutte also addressed the upcoming U.S. presidential election, diplomatically addressing both Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.
"I know both candidates very well. I worked for four years with Donald Trump. He was pushing us to spend more, and he achieved it — at the moment we are at a much higher spending level," he said, adding: "He was also pushing us off China, and he was right.
"Of course, Kamala Harris has a fantastic record as vice president, she is a highly respected figure. So, I hope, I will be able to work with both."
Ukraine is still hoping to join NATO, and an invitation is part of Kyiv's victory plan, the head of the Presidential Office Andriy Yermak said on Sept. 24.
Ukraine applied for NATO membership in September 2022, half a year into Russia's full-scale invasion.
The July NATO summit in Washington ended with the launch of the Ukraine Compact, a security framework signed by 32 allies.
The countries affirmed Kyiv's "irreversible" path toward membership, though Ukraine did not receive any definitive news about its future accession.
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.
Elsa Court
