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."
Rescuers continue to work at one of the attack sites in Kyiv, captured by a photo shared by the State Emergency Service on Dec. 31, 2023. (State Emergency Service/Telegram)
At least 23 people were killed by Russia's Dec. 29 mass strike on Kyiv, the State Emergency Service reported on Dec. 31.
"As of 12:30 p.m., in the Shevchenkivskyi district of Kyiv, rescuers retrieved 23 people who died during a Russian missile attack on Dec. 29 from under the rubble. 8 people were saved," the Emergency Service wrote.
The report comes shortly after the local authorities had just revised the death toll to 19, adding that the rescuers were continuing to identify the bodies of the dead.
Earlier on Dec. 29, Russia launched a large-scale drone and missile attack on multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv and Lviv, far from the battlefield, killing over 40 people and wounding over 160 people countrywide.
Kyiv, usually well protected by modern Western air defense systems, suffered its deadliest attack since the beginning of the war.
Citing the National Police, the Emergency Service said that 35 were wounded in the capital.
Of the 158 Russian missiles and drones launched at the country, Ukrainian air defense downed 114, according to the Air Force.
Asami Terajima is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent covering Ukrainian military issues, front-line developments, and politics. She is the co-author of the weekly War Notes newsletter. She previously worked as a business reporter for the Kyiv Post focusing on international trade, infrastructure, investment, and energy. Originally from Japan, Terajima moved to Ukraine during childhood and completed her bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in the U.S. She is the winner of the Thomson Reuters Foundation's Kurt Schork Award in International Journalism 2023 (Local Reporter category) and the George Weidenfeld Prize, awarded as part of Germany's Axel Springer Prize 2023. She was also featured in the Media Development Foundation’s “25 under 25: Young and Bold” 2023 list of emerging media makers in Ukraine.
Alexander Query
