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."
Russian President Vladimir Putin gives a speech during an event in Veliky Novgorod on Sept. 21, 2022. (Ilya Pitalev via Getty Images)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin may announce the accession of occupied Ukrainian territories in his address at the Russian parliament on Sept. 30, according to the U.K. Defense Ministry.
Russia's leaders hope this announcement will be seen "as a vindication of the 'special military operation' and will consolidate patriotic support for the conflict," the U.K. Defense Ministry reported on Sept. 27. However, “increasing domestic awareness of Russia’s recent battlefield sets-backs and significant unease about the partial mobilization” will likely ruin their aspiration, according to the ministry.
On Sept. 23, Russia's proxies in the south and east parts of Ukraine declared the start of pseudo-referendums on joining Russia. They plan to announce the results on Sept. 27-28, according to Russian state-controlled media.
Residents of occupied territories in Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia oblasts are reportedly being forced to vote for joining Russia in sham referendums.
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