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."
A photograph taken on Dec. 8, 2020, shows the Hotel Polissya in the ghost town of Pripyat, not far from the Chornobyl nuclear power plant. (Genya Savilov/AFP via Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelensky has used the anniversary of the Chornobyl disaster on April 26 to highlight the continuing threat Russia poses while the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is "held hostage" by Moscow's forces.
The Zaporizhzhia plant – the largest nuclear plant in Europe – has been under Russian occupation since March 2022. The Chornobyl plant was also occupied by Moscow's forces for 35 days at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
In a post on social media, Zelensky said the Chornobyl disaster "showed the world how quickly deadly threats can appear," adding: "Radiation does not recognize borders and does not distinguish national flags."
"For 785 days, the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, has been held hostage by Russian terrorists," he said.
"And it is the duty of the whole world to put pressure on Russia so that the nuclear power plant is released and returned to the full control of Ukraine and that all nuclear facilities in Ukraine are protected from Russian strikes."
Radiation sees no borders or national flags. The Chornobyl disaster demonstrated how rapidly deadly threats can emerge. Tens of thousands of people mitigated the Chornobyl disaster at the cost of their own health and lives, eliminating its terrible consequences in 1986 and the… pic.twitter.com/ezclAdytag
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) April 26, 2024
The Chornobyl nuclear accident occurred on April 26, 1986, when one of the plant’s nuclear reactors exploded during a planned test.
The explosion spewed nuclear material across Europe and heavily contaminated a 150,000-square-kilometer area of land covering Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.
A massive rescue and clean-up operation narrowly averted an even bigger cataclysm, but the accident remains the most devastating nuclear disaster in history and played a significant role in the collapse of the Soviet Union.
While the official death toll stands at just 31, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that approximately 4,000 people have died since the disaster due to acute radiation symptoms, thyroid cancer, or radiation-induced leukemia.
Over 55,400 square kilometers, or 9% of Ukraine’s territory, is contaminated because of the accident.
"We remember the strength and dedication of people who saved lives in 1986. We appreciate everyone who is helping to protect lives now," Zelensky said.
Haley Zehrung
