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.
President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attends a press conference during NATO Summit at LITEXPO Lithuanian Exhibition and Congress Center in Vilnius, Lithuania on July 12, 2023. (Beata Zawrzel/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has arrived in the Russian city of Sochi for talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Turkish state-run news agency Anadolu reported on Sept. 4.
According to Anadolu, their negotiations will focus on the potential restoration of the Black Sea Grain Initiative, unilaterally terminated by Moscow in mid-July.
Erdogan and Putin will also reportedly discuss the latest developments in Russia's war against Ukraine as well as bilateral relations between the two countries, including cooperation in energy, trade, economy, and tourism.
A day before, the Turkish presidency announced that Erdogan would pay a one-day working visit to Sochi at Putin's invitation.
According to the Kremlin's press service, Putin previously said he is willing to restore the grain corridor once the West "fulfills all the obligations to Russia" regarding the deal.
Moscow withdrew from the Black Sea grain deal on July 17, causing spikes in wheat prices and fears about food security worldwide. The agreement previously allowed Ukraine to export its grain through its Black Sea ports amid the ongoing Russian full-scale invasion.
The Kremlin justified the decision ahead of a July 27-28 summit with African leaders by claiming the deal only served "to enrich Western businesses," and that promises about facilitating Russia's grain and fertilizer exports had not been met.
Turkey, positioning itself as a mediator between Ukraine and Russia, played an important role in brokering the grain deal in July 2022. Since the agreement's collapse, Ankara has been in contact with both Kyiv and Moscow, discussing the options for its restoration.
Martin Fornusek
