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.
Ukrainian artillerymen take a defensive position on the front line against attacks, as the Russia-Ukraine war continues in Kharkiv, Kharkiv Oblast, on Aug. 1, 2022. (Photo by Sofia Bobok/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Following the announcement of "partial mobilization" in Russia, Commander-in-chief of Ukraine's Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhnyi said that no statements by Russian leaders will affect Ukraine's willingness to fight for its freedom and defend its land.
In a Facebook post published on Sept. 21, Zaluzhnyi said that Ukraine's Armed Forces have been defending the country against Russian aggression for more than eight years since Russia first invaded Ukraine in 2014. He said that the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24 didn't scare the military and neither will the announced mobilization.
"Hundreds of thousands of men and women protect their native land, their homes, their children, and the future of Ukraine," the commander wrote. "We will destroy everyone who comes to our land with weapons — whether voluntarily or by mobilization."
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