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 Volodymyr Zelensky speaks while visiting with wounded Ukrainian soldiers at the Staten Island University Hospital in New York City on Sept. 18, 2023. (Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images)
In an interview with the Washington Post published on March 29, President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed disagreement with the United States' response to Ukraine's strikes on Russian oil refineries, emphasizing that Ukraine has the right to use its own weapons for self-defense.
Despite concerns from the U.S., Zelensky asserted that targeting Russian energy infrastructure is a legitimate military strategy, and Ukrainian officials maintained that these attacks adhere to NATO standards.
According to the Financial Times, the United States allegedly urged Ukraine to limit attacks on Russian energy infrastructure citing potential repercussions on global oil prices.
“The reaction of the U.S. was not positive on this,” Zelensky told the Washington Post, when asked about rumors that U.S. officials warned against such attacks inside Russia
"We used our drones. Nobody can say to us you can’t," Zelensky said, emphasizing that Washington could not limit Ukraine's use of weapons of its own production.
Zelensky's comments come as Ukraine continues to carry out attacks on Russian oil refineries. A recent attack on March 17 successfully targeted 12 Russian oil refineries amounting to about 12% of Russia's oil-processing capacity, according to Bloomberg.
The strikes serve as retaliation for Russian attacks on critical infrastructure, and align with Ukraine's military objectives.
Between March 21 and March 25, Russian forces initiated a new series of missile and drone assaults on Ukraine, causing significant damage to the nation's critical infrastructure. The March 22 strike damaged the Dnipro Hydroelectric Power Plant, Ukraine's largest hydroelectric station, leaving 1.5 million Ukrainian residents without power across various regions.
"If there's no air defense to protect our power system and Russia attacks it, my question is why can't we hit them back? When Russia stops these moves, we will stop," Zelensky said.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
Asami Terajima
