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.
Former U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps, Oct. 1, 2023. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Carl Court/Getty Images)
If Western nations allow Russia to defeat Ukraine, China will see it as a signal to invade Taiwan, former U.K. Defense Secretary Grant Shapps said in an editorial for the Sunday Times published Oct. 26.
Fears of escalating Chinese military intervention in Taiwan have risen sharply since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The war has served as a possible model of how both Taipei and the international community might respond if Beijing decides to invade.
"(W)e have the opportunity to send a clear message to the Chinese leadership that subjugating the neighboring democracy by force will never be acceptable," Shapps wrote in the Sunday Times.
"We must send this message by acting much closer to home, here in Europe."
Stepping up support for Ukraine is the most effective way to deter China from attacking Taiwan, Shapps writes, saying a conflict between Beijing and Taipei would have a devastating impact on the global economy.
"Now is therefore the time not only to provide long-range permission for our Storm Shadow missiles but to do so without awaiting a decision from Washington," Shapps said.
The Ukrainian military has received British Storm Shadows, long-range missiles that can fly up to 250 kilometers (150 miles), but is not permitted to use them on Russian soil. Kyiv has urged its allies to lift restrictions on the use of Western-provided weapons, a step that is also included in President Volodymyr Zelensky's five-point victory plan.
"The cost of allowing the use of our weapons, even inside Russia if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin attacks from there, would be minimal compared with the consequences of Putin winning — and thereby allowing others to believe that you can time out the West’s interest," Shapps said.
Shapps called on the U.K. and other Western goverments to ramp up their military aid to Ukraine, arguing that a strong defense of Ukraine alongside "peaceful political discussion" with China offered the best strategy to protect Taiwan and avoid escalated global conflict.
"Redoubling our support for Ukraine today would not only be doing the right thing but would also make an invasion of Taiwan much less likely, thereby protecting us from a recession or even depression," he said.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Asami Terajima
