Hungary cancelled a meeting planned for May 12 with a Ukrainian delegation on the rights of national minorities, Hungary's Deputy Foreign Minister said on May 11, amid a deepening spying scandal between the two countries.
Three were injured in Russia's Kursk Oblast when the town of Rylsk was allegedly struck by a missile attack on May 11, local governor Alexander Khinshtein claimed.
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.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (R-FL), testifies during his Senate Foreign Relations confirmation hearing at Dirksen Senate Office Building on Jan. 15, 2025, in Washington, DC. (Kevin Dietsch / Getty Images)
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said he was hopeful a peace agreement between Russia and Ukraine can be reached soon but expressed doubt that any deal could materialize within a week, he said on April 23 in an interview with the Honestly podcast.
“I don’t know about by the end of the week. I’m hopeful that we can get to something quickly,” Rubio said. “And I remain hopeful that we can get something done because this is a terrible war and it needs to end.”
His comments come as the White House ramps up diplomatic efforts for Kyiv and Moscow to come to the table to negotiate an end to Russia's full-scale invasion. U.S. President Donald Trumpdeclared on April 21 said that a deal between Ukraine and Russia could be struck “this week.”
In the interview, Rubio also said the U.S. understands Russia’s position better after reestablishing contact with Moscow. Former U.S. President Joe Biden cut off formal communications with the Kremlin after the start of the invasion in February 2022.
“We have a better understanding of that now because we’ve actually spoken to them after three years of not speaking to them,” he said.
Rubio also said there is “no military end to this war,” adding that “Russia’s not just going to roll over Ukraine and take the whole country, and Ukraine’s not going to push them all the way back to where they were before 2014.”
U.S. Vice President JD Vancesaid during a visit to India on April 23 that the U.S. had submitted a “very explicit proposal” to both Kyiv and Moscow. Vance warned that unless the two sides move forward, Washington may abandon its mediation efforts.
“We really tried to understand things from the perspectives of both Ukrainians and Russians,” he said, describing the plan as “very fair.” The proposal reportedly includes freezing current front lines and accepting that both sides will need to cede some territorial claims.
Rubio also signaled that Washington may move on, unless progress is made. “Ultimately it’s not up to us. It’s up to Russia, and it’s up to Ukraine. They have to make the decision that they’re willing to move closer to one another, and we need to start to see progress.”
Rubio and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff declined to participate in diplomatic meetings taking place in London on April 23. The talks were originally planned as a ministerial-level summit involving the U.S., U.K., Germany, France, and Ukraine, but was downgraded after Rubio’s withdrawal.
Anna Fratsyvir is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent, with a background in broadcast journalism and international affairs. Previously, she worked as a TV journalist at Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, covering global politics and international developments. Anna holds a Bachelor's degree in International Communications from Taras Shevchenko National University and is currently an MA candidate in International Relations at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).
Martin Fornusek
