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.
Ukraine's Defense Minister Rustem Umerov and Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen during their meeting in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 25, 2023. (Rustem Umerov/X)
Denmark has pledged a military aid package to Ukraine worth 3.7 billion Danish kroner ($520 million), including T-72EA tanks, BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, artillery shells, drones, and small arms, the Danish Defense Ministry announced on Oct. 26.
The tranche also includes engineering and recovery vehicles, which have been co-financed by Germany, the ministry said.
The package further encompasses support to NATO's Comprehensive Assistance Package, which coordinates non-lethal defense assistance to Kyiv, and to the EU's joint artillery shells procurement plan.
The tranche's content has been based upon consultations between Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov in Kyiv earlier this week, Poulsen said.
"Today's donation confirms that Ukraine can count on Denmark's unwavering support in their fight for freedom. This is support that is crucial for Ukraine to continue the fight," Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen said.
"The donation also sends an important signal to both Ukraine and Russia that we do not lose focus, even though much of the world's attention these days is directed at Israel and Palestine."
According to the Danish Foreign Ministry's statement from Oct. 6, Copenhagen has already provided Ukraine with $2.3 billion in military aid and $354 million in civilian contributions since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion.
Denmark is also one of the few countries that have pledged to supply Kyiv with the much-desired F-16 fighter jets.
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.
Oleksiy Sorokin
