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 presentation of a bipartisan draft resolution regarding the position of the U.S. House of Representatives on conditions of Ukraine's victory takes place on Capitol Hill, Washington D.C., on April 25, 2023. (Oksana Markarova/Facebook)
A bipartisan draft resolution regarding the position of the U.S. House of Representatives on conditions of Ukraine's victory was presented in Washington D.C. on April 25, according to Ukraine's ambassador to the United States, Oksana Markarova.
The document, co-written by Republican congressman Joe Wilson and Steve Cohen from the Democratic Party, states that Ukraine's victory should be considered the complete return of Ukrainian territories within the internationally recognized borders of 1991 under the control of Kyiv.
According to Markarova, the draft resolution also indicates the following elements of the U.S. Congress' position:
peace after potential Ukraine's victory should be ensured by the country's integration into NATO and other Euro-Atlantic institutions, which corresponds to the U.S. long-term policy;
the U.S. must work with its allies and partners to ensure Russia's payment of reparations to Ukraine, the world community's assistance in restoring Ukraine, Russian leadership's accountability for its war of aggression, and justice for victims of Russian war crimes.
"We introduce this resolution to explain the importance of preserving territorial integrity. I believe it is important, in particular, for the American people, who must understand that the entire territory of Ukraine must be returned to Kyiv's jurisdiction," Congressman Wilson told the Voice of America (VOA)
"For this, the war criminal Putin must withdraw his troops. And if there are any negotiations, they should include a schedule for withdrawing troops."
After the presentation, the resolution must be approved by the relevant committees and then put to a vote in Congress, both at the House of Representatives and the Senate level.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
