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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks before an Iftar dinner during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 13, 2025. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The fate of Ukraine's Russian-occupied territories was discussed with the U.S. during the talks in Saudi Arabia earlier this week, President Volodymyr Zelensky told journalists on March 14.
Zelensky's comments come days after Kyiv agreed to a 30-day ceasefire put forth by the U.S. during the negotiations in Jeddah. Russian President Vladimir Putin placed demands in order to begin talks on a possible ceasefire that included guarantees to not mobilize or train new troops, nor receive military aid during from the West.
Previously, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Ukraine-U.S. talks included discussions about potential "territorial concessions" as part of a negotiated settlement with Russia.
According to Zelensky, discussions of the territories were not part of the meeting's agenda. He reiterated that Ukraine will not recognize any occupied territories as part of Russia under a potential future peace agreement with Moscow.
"The American side goes into details. For example, the city of Enerhodar... You can't just say: here's the (Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power) Plant, and the city is separate. I believe that the issue of territories is the most difficult one after the issue of establishing a ceasefire," Zelensky said.
Control over the nuclear plant in occupied Enerhodar was discussed during U.S.-Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia, U.S. President Donald Trump said.
The largest nuclear plant in Europe, the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant in the city of Enerhodar, has been under Russian occupation since 2022. While the facility remains under Russian control, it is not currently generating electricity.
Ukraine and its allies have repeatedly urged Russia to withdraw its troops from the plant. Throughout its occupation, the plant has been repeatedly disconnected from the Ukrainian power grid due to Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure.
Russian forces currently occupy roughly 20% of Ukraine, from where reports of systematic repression, torture, and forced deportations regularly emerge.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Oleg Sukhov
