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."
Russia will likely attack Ukraine in late January-early February, Defense Intelligence Chief Kyrylo Budanov told the Military Times on Nov. 21. He said it would be far more devastating than anything Russia has done in Ukraine since its 2014 invasion.
According to Budanov, Russia will likely employ airstrikes, artillery and armor attacks, followed by airborne assaults in the east, amphibious landings in Odesa and Mariupol, and a smaller invasion through Belarus.
Foreign intelligence services have warned Ukraine that a large-scale Russian assault is likely forthcoming. According to Ukrainian Defense Ministry estimates, Russia has about 90,000 troops deployed along the Ukrainian border and in the occupied territories.
Russia's Security Council Deputy Secretary Alexander Grebenkin, meanwhile, accused Ukraine of “increasing risks of provocations” in Russian-occupied Crimea and the Black and Azov Seas.
Anastasiia Lapatina is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the same role at the Kyiv Post and has focused on politics and human rights in conflict zones and issues in Russia-occupied Crimea. She holds a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia in Canada.
