The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
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.
Emergency workers remove downed trees and repair damage after strong winds hit Ukraine on Oct. 28, affecting more than 1,000 communities in 14 oblasts. (Emergency Service/Telegram)
Workers from DTEK, Ukraine's largest private energy company, restored power for 438,000 families in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Donetsk oblasts after gale-force winds battered Ukraine over the weekend, the company said on Oct. 30.
Approximately 10,000 transformers and 441 overhead lines were damaged in the storm, the company said. Repair work was done by 250 DTEK teams.
Winds gusting up to 90 kilometers per hour knocked over trees and swept debris across the country on Oct. 28, causing the deaths of four people and injuring at least nine others.
The storm also disrupted power all over Ukraine, affecting over 1,000 communities in 14 oblasts, according to the Energy Ministry.
Khmelnytskyi Oblast, located in western Ukraine, was particularly impacted by the storm.
Repair work in Kyiv and Dnipropetrovsk Oblasts is still underway at the time of this publication, DTEK said.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Alexander Query
