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."
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (L) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries talk while waiting to speak during the March for Israel on the National Mall on Nov. 14, 2023, in Washington, DC. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
The Democratic Party in the U.S. House of Representatives said they would support Speaker Mike Johnson's series of bills that includes aid for Ukraine, Israel, and other priorities in the upcoming vote, Bloomberg reported on April 18.
After months of delays and several versions of the aid bill derailed by political infighting, Johnson unveiled his plan earlier this week to vote on the package as four separate bills on April 20.
The House presented a proposal that allocates around $61 billion in aid for Ukraine, mostly in the form of defense support and replenishment of U.S. military stocks, but which also includes around $8 billion in economic assistance as loans.
As the right flank of the Republican Party said they would oppose the proposal, the Democrats' backing is crucial for passing the bills.
"We're going to do what's necessary to make sure the national security bill gets over the finish line," House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said.
"It's not Johnson's foreign aid package. It's America's foreign aid package in terms of meeting our national security needs."
According to Bloomberg, House Democrats could also shield Johnson from an attempt by the conservatives to oust him. Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, who extensively criticized support for Kyiv, has repeatedly threatened to trigger the motion against Johnson.
Should the bills pass the House, they will be sent for an additional vote to the Senate as early as next week. President Joe Biden has already said that he will sign the package right after it passes Congress.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
John Roberts
