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."
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, met with British Chief of Defense Staff Tony Radakin on Sept. 28, 2023. (Source: General Valerii Zaluzhnyi/Telegram)
General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, met with British Chief of Defense Staff Tony Radakin to discuss the situation on the front and Kyiv's defense needs, the Ukrainian commander said on Sept. 28.
Zaluzhnyi said he emphasized the importance of reinforcing Ukraine's air defense capabilities during the talks with the British general.
"I thanked him (Radakin) for his visit and for supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression," Ukraine's chief commander wrote on Telegram.
Earlier on Sept. 28, recently appointed U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps met with President Volodymyr Zelensky and Defense Minister Rustem Usemov during his visit to Kyiv.
Zelensky called the meeting with Shapps "substantial" and thanked the U.K. for its "significant financial, defense, and humanitarian support for Ukraine."
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.
Francis Farrell
