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."
Class frigate Admiral Gorshkov (L-back) and oil tanker Academic Pashin, part of the Russian naval detachment visiting Venezuela, arrive at La Guaira's harbor on July 2, 2024. (Federico Parra/AFP via Getty Images)
Two Russian naval ships docked in Venezuela's La Guaira port on July 2 after exercises in the North Atlantic supposedly intended to "show the flag" in the region.
The frigate Admiral Gorshkov and the replenishment tanker Akademik Pashin were part of a small group of vessels from the Northern Fleet that arrived in Cuba last month, along with a tugboat and a nuclear-powered submarine.
The voyage, which has been closely tracked by the U.S., was broadly seen as a demonstration by Russia that it can still project naval power, even after the losses Ukraine inflicted on its Black Sea Fleet.
The visit to the two Latin American countries underscores their close relations with Moscow, bolstered by the shared animosity toward Washington.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has denounced Western sanctions imposed against Russia over its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and called Caracas and Moscow "loyal allies."
At the same time, Maduro seeks talks with the U.S. on easing sanctions on his own country ahead of the presidential election, which could secure him a third term in office.
The July 28 vote has been dubbed the "greatest challenge" to Maduro's United Socialist Party, which has held a tight grip on the country for 25 years but is facing increasingly dire social and economic crises.
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.
Anastasiia Lapatina
