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.
Illustrative photo of a Chinese national flag on a flagpole in Beijing on Aug. 8, 2016. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
China sanctioned 12 American military companies and 10 defense executives on May 22 in response to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan and sanctions against Chinese firms the U.S. has accused of aiding Russia in its war against Ukraine.
The Chinese government claimed that the U.S. has ignored China's "objective and fair stance" on Russia's war in Ukraine and "indiscriminately" sanctioned several Chinese entities in light of Russian-related factors, the statement read.
Beijing also condemned the U.S. for continuing to sell arms to Taiwan, allegedly "interfering in China's internal affairs and seriously damaging China's sovereignty and territorial integrity."
The sanctioned companies include subsidiaries of Lockheed Martin Corp., General Dynamics, IronMountain Solutions, and Applied Technologies Group, according to the statement. The entities' assets will be frozen in China.
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Regarding the sanctioned executives list, six senior representatives of Northrop Grumman Corp., including Chief Executive Officer Kathy Warden, and four of General Dynamics, including Vice President Firat Gezen, will be banned from entering China, Hong Kong, and Macau.
The Chinese sanctions are mostly symbolic, as the mentioned companies do not usually do business in China.
The U.S. on May 1 imposed new sanctions against 300 more companies and individuals in Russia and third countries, including Chinese companies, for aiding Moscow's war effort.
The same month, Washington extended the list of sanctions even further, adding 37 more companies to the trade blacklist due to security reasons.
Beijing has maintained close ties with Moscow during the war, increasing economic cooperation and disrupting Western attempts to isolate Russia.
Expanded trade with China has played a key role in allowing Moscow to keep its economy running and ramp up its military industry despite Western economic pressure.
Kateryna Hodunova is a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a sports journalist in several Ukrainian outlets and was the deputy chief editor at Suspilne Sport. Kateryna covered the 2022 Olympics in Beijing and was included in the Special Mentions list at the AIPS Sport Media Awards. She holds a bachelor's degree in political journalism from Taras Shevchenko University and a master's degree in political science from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
Asami Terajima
