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."
Ukrainian servicemen sit on a BMP military vehicle as they move towards Bakhmut in the region of Donbas, on March 13, 2023, amid the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky held another meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff on March 14, discussing the battlefield situation on the Bakhmut front line.
"After considering the defense operation's progress in the Bakhmut area, all staff members expressed a common position regarding the further holding and defense of the city of Bakhmut," President's Office wrote.
The Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff gathered amid fierce fighting raging over Donetsk Oblast's Bakhmut in Ukraine's east as Russia's Wagner mercenaries try to break through Ukrainian defense and advance to the central areas of the city.
In his evening address on March 13, Zelensky said it was "very tough in the east, very painful," adding that the country's future "is being decided" on Ukraine's eastern front line. Earlier, he told CNN that Russian forces would have an "open road" to seize other critical settlements in eastern Ukraine if they capture Bakhmut, defending Kyiv's decision to continue the city's defense despite Ukrainian troops suffering heavy losses.
The embattled city of Bakhmut has been Russia's main target for over seven months. Despite being surrounded on three sides by Russian troops, Ukraine's military has committed to its defense of Bakhmut, ostensibly to inflict large-scale attrition on the forces of the Wagner paramilitary group.
The March 14 meeting's participants also reportedly analyzed the provision of weapons and ammunition to Ukraine's Armed Forces on the front lines.
The meeting was attended by Zelensky's chief of staff, Andrii Yermak, Oleksii Danilov, secretary of the National Security and Defense Council; Commander-in-Chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhny; Defense Intelligence Сhief Kyrylo Budanov and Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal.
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