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.
A Koral missile model presented during the Weapons and Security 2021 exhibition in Kyiv in June 2021. (Ukrmilitary.com)
Ukraine plans to increase the production of missiles, arms, and other military equipment several times next year, with a particular focus on air defenses, Deputy Defense Minister Ivan Havryliuk said on Nov. 30.
The air defense production will range from portable anti-aircraft systems to weaponry with a range of over 100 kilometers, such as Koral guided missiles, the official said on television.
The Ukrainian Koral missile project, designed by the Luch state enterprise and intended for use by medium-ranged systems, has been in development since 2016. A model of the missile was for the first time presented at Kyiv's Weapons and Security 2021 exhibition in June 2021.
"In addition, the approved budget for 2024 allocates about Hr 175 billion ($4.8 billion) for the purchase of missiles and ammunition so that our defense forces can properly resist Russian aggression," the deputy defense minister said.
With Soviet-era air defense missiles allegedly running low already in early 2023, Western supplies of systems and accompanying munitions like Patriot or IRIS-T play a major role in protecting Ukraine's sky.
Growing uncertainties about the stability of Western support and Russia's defense budget hike make domestic production of air defenses and other systems all the more crucial.
Last month, the state-owned Ukrainian Defense Industry concern announced the mass production of kamikaze drones with a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers.
Kyiv puts a great deal of importance on domestic high-tech weapons production, and poor performance in this area was reportedly one of the reasons for the dismissal of the Ukrainian Defense Industry's previous chief, Yurii Husiev, in June.
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.
Dinara Khalilova
