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 European Union (EU) flag next to the European Commission building in Brussels, Belgium, on Nov. 10, 2023. (Simon Wohlfahrt/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The EU is moving toward a sanctions package against Iran over providing ballistic missiles to Russia amid the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Bloomberg reported on Oct. 4, citing undisclosed sources.
The U.S. confirmed in September that Tehran had supplied Russia with short-range Fath-360 ballistic missiles as another step in its growing military cooperation with Moscow.
Kyiv, Washington, and other Western countries subsequently imposed new economic restrictions against Iran, which already faces heavy sanctions over its nuclear program and backing of militant groups in the Middle East.
According to Bloomberg, the EU sanctions would target roughly a dozen individuals and entities, which includes firms involved in the engineering, metals, and aviation sectors.
The step should be reportedly approved by the upcoming EU summit in Brussels, scheduled for Oct. 16-18. This package would only be the first step and additional listings are under consideration, the sources told Bloomberg.
Russia and Iran have deepened their military and political ties since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Tehran has provided Moscow with thousands of Shahed kamikaze drones used in attacks against Ukraine.
Tehran has repeatedly denied backing Russia in the war. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian claimed during a U.N. meeting in September that his country has never supported Moscow's invasion and denied the supplies of ballistic missiles.
Ukraine's military said on Sept. 29 that it had destroyed a Russian arsenal in Volgograd Oblast, which had allegedly received a shipment of Iranian missiles shortly before the strike.
Chris York
