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."
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky during the press conference in Warsaw, Poland on April 5, 2023. Visit to Poland is the first official international trip made by President of Ukraine since the Russian invasion begun on February 2022. During the trip Zelensky met with President and Prime Minister of Poland as well as with Polish people and Ukrainians that live in Poland. (Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Russia uses dozens of critical components from abroad to produce all its missiles, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Jan. 18, referring to a report by Foreign Intelligence Service chief Oleksandr Lytvynenko.
Despite extensive Western sanctions aimed at cutting off supply lines, Russia continues to obtain sanctioned goods, such as microchips, via third-party countries, fueling its war machine.
However, Moscow lacks some modern weapon parts like modern optics and electronics due to restrictions, Ukraine's military intelligence agency (HUR) said.
According to Zelensky, there are “clear facts” that many of the parts in Russian missiles are made by “companies from the free world.” He wants allies to respond more actively to Moscow’s attempts to circumvent sanctions and prevent it from producing weapons.
Ukraine's National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NAZK) identified around 2,500 foreign components in Russian weaponry, mostly from U.S. producers who do not sell their products to Russia directly.
“So blocking the ways Russia circumvents sanctions is blocking terror. I am grateful to all partners who understand this and to everyone in the world who helps us in this work,” the president said.
Kyiv's allies have sought to crack down on the Kremlin's ability to circumvent their sanctions. The EU's latest sanction package included a ban for third-country entities to re-export sensitive goods to Russia.
