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 seal of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is seen outside of a headquarters building in Washington, D.C., on April 7, 2021. Photo for illustrative purposes. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a preliminary agreement with Ukraine to provide Kyiv with about $1.1 billion in financial assistance, the IMF announced on Sept. 10.
The IMF team led by Gavin Gray held week-long negotiations with the Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv on the fifth review of the country's four-year Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program.
The EFF is a long-term funding agreement that will allow Ukraine to access $15.6 billion in financial aid in regular installments.
The two parties reached a staff-level agreement. If approved by the IMF Executive Board, which is expected to happen in "coming weeks," Ukraine will have access to about $1.1 billion.
"Program performance remains strong. The authorities met all end-June quantitative performance criteria (QPCs) and the structural benchmark for the review," the statement read.
According to Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, the agreements show that Ukraine "is continuing important reforms, and international partners support us on this path."
At the same time, the IMF said that the risks to Ukraine "remain exceptionally high" with the expected economic slowdown due to repeated Russian attacks on the country's energy infrastructure and the impact of the war on labor markets and confidence.
The IMF said Kyiv needs to "respect financing constraints and debt sustainability objectives" in the 2025 budget.
"Tax revenues need to increase in 2025 and beyond to create space for critical spending, to preserve essential buffers, and restore fiscal sustainability," the statement read.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Maxwell Kushnir
