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."
President Volodymyr Zelensky at an event dedicated to Ukraine's Defense and Industrial Complex Employee Day on April 13, 2024. (Ukraine's Presidential Office)
Ukrainian soldiers already use domestically-produced attack drones similar to RussianLancet drones at the front, Ukrainska Pravda and Militarnyi, Ukrainian news outlets, reported on April 15.
The drone was shown to President Volodymyr Zelensky at an event dedicated to Ukraine's Defense and Industrial Complex Employee Day on April 13, according to the media outlets.
Kyiv has intensified its efforts to ramp up domestic production of drones, a critical tool on the battlefield, aiming to manufacture 1 million drones this year.
In early February, Ukraine was preparing to launch the mass production of the equivalent of the Russian Lancet drones, according to Digital Transformation Minister Mykhailo Fedorov. Later that month, he said that some of such drones had been tested, adding that Kyiv would be able to produce "hundreds" of them "in a few months."
The Lancet is a kamikaze drone with a range of 40 kilometers produced by ZALA Aero Group, a subsidiary of Russian arms giant Kalashnikov Concern.
Since Russia started using the Lancet in large numbers on the battlefield in late 2022, it has proved to be one of Russia's most effective weapons against high-value targets located dozens of kilometers behind the front line.
The Ukrainian-made drone is reportedly capable of striking targets at a distance of over 100 kilometers and is equipped with a warhead of up to three kilograms.
With a maximum speed of 180 km/h, the drone can attack both static and moving targets and "theoretically, can also hit helicopters hovering or flying on opposite courses," according to the reports.
"It has already been able to hit a Russian anti-aircraft missile system," Ukrainska Pravda reported, adding that the unmanned system is at the stage of completion, which takes place in a combat zone.
At the event, Zelensky inspected the latest models of military equipment and weapons and was briefed on the volume of their production and use at the front, the Presidential Office reported.
In total, there are 500 operating defense industry enterprises in Ukraine that produce shells, mortars, armored vehicles, anti-tank systems, electronic warfare systems etc., according to Zelensky.
Francis Farrell
