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."
A Ukrainian soldier looks over a target range, as Ukrainian Armed Forces brigades train for a critical and imminent spring counteroffensive against Russian troops in the Donbas region, Ukraine, on April 26, 2023. (Photo by Scott Peterson/Getty Images)
Shortly after the Ukrainian army took control of the village of Blahodatne, another settlement Makarivka was liberated from Russian forces in Donetsk Oblast, Deputy Minister of Defense Hanna Maliar reported on June 11.
According to Maliar, the advance of Ukrainian troops in two directions in the south of the country ranges from 300 to 1,500 meters.
Around the city of Bakhmut, the Ukrainian army continued to assault Russian positions. Maliar noted that “there is success in the area of the Berkhiv Reservoir,” where Ukrainian troops advanced 250 meters.
In addition, not a single Ukrainian position was lost during the day, she said.
Ukrainian counteroffensive operations were also reported in Luhansk Oblast near Bilohorivka, located some 88 kilometers northwest from the center of Russian-occupied Luhansk, the Institute for the Study of War reported on June 10.
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Francis Farrell
