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."
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.
Ukrainian sappers carries a part of a Russian missile during a demining of a lake in Zaporizhzhia region. (Andriy Andriyenko/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Azerbaijan's demining experts will train Ukrainian sappers, the Interior Ministry reported on Aug. 10, citing Ambassador of Azerbaijan to Ukraine Seymour Mardaliev.
At a meeting in Kyiv, the Mardaliev-led delegation discussed the organization of such training on the territory of Azerbaijan with Deputy Interior Minister Bohdan Drapiatyi.
"Our experience should be very interesting for you. We are talking not only about national capabilities but also about international missions in which Azerbaijan has been involved," said Mardaliev.
The Azerbaijani side also pledged a new aid package for Ukraine, which will include a mechanized demining machine. According to Drapiatyi, a work day of such a machine equals 100 days of sappers' work.
Russia's war has led to around 174,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land potentially contaminated with mines and other explosive objects, Drapiatyi said at the meeting.
Nearly 14,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian water bodies also need to be cleared, he added.
According to the Azerbaijani government, Baku has provided more than 15 million euro in humanitarian assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale war.
However, Azerbaijan, which shares a border with Russia, has also maintained good relations with Moscow, having signed a political and military friendship agreement with Russia just two days before the invasion.
Asami Terajima
