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.
The view of Kyiv on Nov. 1, 2022. Amid Russia's continuous attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, local authorities introduced blackouts in the capital. (Photo by Ed Ram/Getty Images)
Kyiv Oblast Governor Oleksii Kuleba told Hromadske that if Russia continues to strike at Ukraine's energy infrastructure and the country's air defense can't handle it, total power outage could happen in the region.
Depending on how severe the inflicted damage is, making necessary repairs could take two weeks or even longer, Kuleba said.
Earlier on Nov. 1, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said that local authorities are preparing to set up 1,000 heating points in Kyiv in case “there is no electricity, water, and heat supply at all.”
On the same day, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said that 12 countries had already agreed to supply equipment for infrastructure recovery to Ukraine, which means the country “has and will have reserves to restore the destroyed infrastructure.”
Shmyhal, however, urged Ukrainians to prepare for “a difficult winter” and stock up on essentials.
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.
