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.
A Ukrainian delegation visits Argentina to discuss the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported to Russia. (President's Office)
Argentina plans to join the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children forcibly deported from Russia, the President's Office announced on May 25.
At least 19,500 Ukrainian children have been confirmed as abducted by Russia since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and less than 400 have been returned home, according to the Ukrainian government's Children of War database.
A Ukrainian delegation, headed by presidential adviser Daria Herasymchuk, visited Argentina as part of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Bring Kids Back UA project. The visit was organized by Ukraine's foreign ministry.
Herasymchuk was joined by Ukraine's Ambassador to Argentina Yurii Klymenko. The delegation met with representatives from the Argentine government and National Congress, along with representatives from EU member states, the local Ukrainian community, educators, experts, and journalists.
"Argentina's voice must sound confidently in the coalition of countries, because you have your own traumatic memories and lost childhood destinies," Herasymchuk said.
"By joining efforts to save kidnapped Ukrainian children in order to fulfill the 4th point of the Peace Formula proposed by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the countries of the world will be able to create a new, effective system for protecting children around the world together."
Argentina said it hopes to join the international coalition for the return of Ukrainian children in the near future, and that legislators have already submitted a draft declaration to parliament regarding membership in the coalition.
In March, it was reported that Argentina's president, Javier Milei, may visit Kyiv in June, making it the first visit by a South American leader to Ukraine since the outbreak of the full-scale war.
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.
Rachel Amran
