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.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
Pipework stands at the second train liquefaction and purification facility during its official opening at the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek PJSC, in Sabetta, Russia, on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2018. (Andrey Rudakov/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
A German state-owned company continues to ship Russian liquified natural gas (LNG) to India, as canceling the contract could cost over $10 billion in taxpayer money, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 20, citing undisclosed sources.
SEFE, a former unit of the Russian Gazprom nationalized by the German government last year, reportedly continues to fulfill its legacy 20-year contract from 2018 to ship out Russian LNG from the Yamal facility.
The firm also has a separate contract to supply the Indian state company GAIL Ltd., Bloomberg noted. The outlet stressed that the shipments in question are not subject to international sanctions.
Should SEFE decide to breach the contract, it could cost Berlin at least 10 billion euros ($10.6 billion) in damages and penalties, which is more than the $6.7-$8.2 billion paid for the company's bailout, Bloomberg's sources said.
Based on the contract, the German firm is obliged to pay for the Russian gas regardless of whether it is transporting it or not.
If it decided not to transport Russian cargo, Moscow could sell it elsewhere and still demand payments from SEFE, thus increasing its profit, Bloomberg explained.
Despite Europe's pledge to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels following the invasion of Ukraine, several EU members have begun importing record amounts of Russian LNG in 2023. The Global Witness NGO reported in August that Spain and Belgium are among the world's leading importers of Russia's liquified natural gas.
However, despite being hooked on Russian gas for years, Europe managed to reduce the pipeline gas imports and decreased the share of Russian gas in the EU's energy mix from 40% to 10% in a year.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Anastassia Fedyk
