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.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Kyiv on May 2, 2024. (Presidential Office)
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky held a meeting with U.K. Foreign Secretary David Cameron in Kyiv on May 2, the Presidential Office said.
The U.K.'s top diplomat visited Ukraine's capital only a week after British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged 500 million pounds ($628 million) in defense aid for Ukraine, London's largest assistance package to date.
"The provision of this package, along with the crucial decision of the United States to provide assistance, is of great importance to us at this key moment," Zelensky said when thanking Cameron for the U.K.'s new pledge of support.
Ukraine's head of state informed Cameron about the situation on the front line and about the need to deliver military aid as soon as possible, namely armored vehicles, ammunition, and missiles.
Ukrainian officials and the British delegation also discussed preparations for the upcoming Group of Seven (G7) summit in Italy, the June peace summit in Switzerland, the NATO summit in Washington, and the Fourth European Political Community Summit in the U.K.
The U.K. has consistently voiced strong support for Ukraine. The country's government said it has pledged 12.5 billion pounds ($15.6 billion) in support to Ukraine since February 2022, of which 7.6 billion pounds ($9.5 billion) was for military assistance.
Olena Goncharova
