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."
U.S. State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce called for "concrete proposals from both sides" in order for Washington to "move forward" in peace negotiations.
"If they speak to each other in Russian, he doesn't know what they are saying," one Western official told NBC News. Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia, called Witkoff's approach "a very bad idea."
Tougher sanctions "should be applied to (Russia's) banking and energy sectors, targeting fossil fuels, oil, and the shadow fleet," the leaders of Ukraine, the U.K., France, Germany, and Poland said in a joint statement.
"Russia is ready for negotiations without any preconditions," Putin claimed in an address marking the end of the three-day Victory Day ceasefire. He invited Ukraine to begin talks in Istanbul on May 15.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Transmission towers and power lines near a missile damaged high-voltage electricity sub-station, operated by a state-owned company Ukrenergo, in central Ukraine, on March 1, 2023. (Andrew Kravchenko/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Ukraine is strengthening its air defense to prepare for Russia's potential mass attacks on critical infrastructure facilities this fall, Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on Sept. 3.
"A year ago, we had no Western (air defense) systems of medium range at all. We received the first NASAMS and IRIS only last fall. Today, we have such a variety of air defense equipment, which might not be found in any other country," Ihnat said on national television.
According to the official, air defense systems provided by the West complement Soviet-era models in Ukraine's arsenal, such as the S-300 and Buk.
"This variety (of air defense equipment) works and brings results. The only problem is that this is not enough for a country so big, so we are forced to deploy air defense locally, focusing on protecting cities and strategic facilities."
The official noted that the Russian military doesn't have as many missiles as during last year's blitz on Ukraine's energy sites, but Moscow is increasing its production of drones, adding that Ukraine needs to prepare.
Throughout the fall of 2022 and winter of 2023, Russia launched a series of mass missile and drone strikes against Ukraine's critical infrastructure facilities, killing dozens of civilians and causing nationwide blackouts.
President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that Russia is likely to attempt this strategy again next winter.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Ukraine has repaired 80% of the main power grids and high-voltage stations to their pre-war condition after Russia severely hit almost half of the country's energy system.
Timothy Ash
