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."
France's President Emmanuel Macron (R) and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer look on upon their arrival on the Place de l'Etoile to attend commemorations marking the 106th anniversary of the Nov. 11, 1918, Armistice, ending World War I (WWI), in Paris, on Nov. 11, 2024. (Ludovic Marin/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
The effort of the British- and French-led "coalition of the willing" to provide security guarantees to Ukraine faces delays due to missing commitments from the U.S., Bloomberg reported on April 9, citing undisclosed sources.
The coalition of European and other partners is meeting at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on April 10 to discuss a path toward a safe and secure Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, with the deployment of European peacekeepers floated as a possible part of the plan.
The Trump administration has ruled out U.S. participation in the so-called "reassurance force," but London and Paris seek to convince Washington to at least provide airpower, intelligence support, or border surveillance as a backstop to the coalition's efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to offer any clear security guarantees to Ukraine and the coalition as Washington signals a reduced military presence on the continent.
U.K. officials insist that the U.S. contribution is a necessary part of the coalition's efforts, Bloomberg reported, casting doubt on the initiative's future unless the allies succeed in convincing Trump.
Publicly, French President Emmanuel Macron took a bolder line, saying the plan for the reassurance force would go ahead "with or without the U.S."
At least 37 countries, including European, Asian, and Commonwealth nations, have been involved in the coalition's discussions, with 15 reportedly ready to contribute their troops. Other members have been asked to provide other forms of support, including intelligence, arms, or naval support.
The Ukrainian military is still perceived as the main pillar of deterrence against further Russian aggression, while the allied troops, which could number between 10,000 and 30,000, would secure strategic facilities in the rear.
U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer first presented the coalition during a London summit on March 2 amid growing uncertainties about continued U.S. support. Trump has not approved any new defense aid packages for Ukraine and even briefly paused the already approved military assistance to push Kyiv to the negotiating table.
Trump's efforts to broker a ceasefire have stalled, as Moscow has rejected a full 30-day truce agreed upon by Kyiv and Washington and reportedly violated a partial truce on strikes against energy infrastructure.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Dominic Culverwell
