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 artillery crew commander Vitalii "Skyba" inside a M109 self-propelled howtizer at positions in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 3, 2023. (Francis Farrell/The Kyiv Independent)
As Ukraine prepares counteroffensive actions in 2024, continued delays in Western security assistance could postpone the efforts to regain a theater-wide initiative against Russia, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) assessed in their daily report on March 6.
Ukraine's Ground Forces Commander Oleksandr Pavliuk recently announced that the main goal of the Ukrainian forces in 2024 is to stabilize the front line and launch conduct conteroffensive actions.
The Armed Forces withdrew in February from several settlements in Donetsk Oblast, including Avdiivka, a key front-line city, due to severe ammunition shortages exacerbated by delays in U.S. aid.
Heavy battles also continue in Kherson, Kharkiv, and Zaporizhizhia Oblasts as Russian troops try to advance further, using not only military equipment but also conducting "human wave" assaults.
Pavliuk said that the current situation on the front line is "difficult but controlled."
Russia is reportedly trying to occupy as many territories as possible before the Russian presidential elections, which is why all their forces are involved in the assault operations.
"Our goal is to stabilize the front line, to destroy the enemy as much as possible, regroup as much as possible to move the units to landfills to create an offensive grouping, and to conduct counteroffensive actions this year," Pavliuk said this week.
ISW assessed that a Ukrainian effort to contest Russia's advances in 2024 is "operationally sound" but that continued delays in Western security assistance will likely postpone efforts to regain a theater-wide initiative.
Materiel shortages are forcing Ukraine to ration ammunition and supplies.
President Zelensky recently said that Ukraine will conduct counteroffensive operations this year, but its primary objective remains the defense of Ukrainian territory.
Going into 2024, Ukraine "will have to make difficult decisions about how to allocate resources between future operationally significant counteroffensive operations and ongoing Ukrainian defensive operations."
U.S. aid to Ukraine has been delayed since autumn 2023, as various versions of a foreign aid bill have been derailed due to border security disagreements. Most recently, a $95 billion aid package to Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan passed in the Senate with bipartisan support, but House Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to bring it to a vote in the House of Representatives.
Commander-in-Chief Oleksandr Syrskyi said earlier in February that Ukrainian troops have switched from offensive to defensive posture and aim to exhaust advancing Russian forces.
Changes in Ukraine's tactics were compelled by the lack of weaponry sent by Western allies.
Francis Farrell
