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.
(L-R) European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, General Secretariat of the Council Therese Blanchet, Bulgarian Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban (C) attend a European Council Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, on June 27, 2024. (Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Feb. 28 for an "immediate" summit between the United States, EU, and Western allies to discuss Ukraine amid ongoing peace talks.
Meloni's call for the summit follow a heated meeting between President Volodymyr Zelensky and U.S. President Donald Trump in the White House on Feb. 28, that culminated in the Ukrainian delegation being ordered to leave the White House.
The meeting ended without an agreement on a mineral deal after a 45-minute press briefing escalated into a heated exchange over U.S. aid to Ukraine and the conditions of a potential peace deal with Russia.
Meloni called for the summit to "talk frankly about how we intend to deal with the great challenges of today, starting with Ukraine, which together we have defended in recent years, and those that we will be called upon to face in the future," according to a statement.
"Any division of the West makes us all weaker and favors those who would like to see the decline of our civilization. A decline not of its power or influence, but of the principles that founded it, first and foremost freedom. A division would not benefit anyone," the statement continued.
Italy will be communicating with allies to propose the meeting "in the coming hours."
Meloni's proposal comes as a number of European leaders on Feb. 28 reaffirmed their support for Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky, following his tense meeting.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that "Today, it became clear that the free world needs a new leader," following the exchange.
The proposed summit follows one that French President Emmanuel Macron convened in Paris on Feb. 17, that brought together leaders from Europe's largest nations and Britain, as well as NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and top EU officials.
European allies have become increasingly concerned that they will not have a role in negotiations between the U.S. and Russia's about ending the war — talks that Kyiv has also been sidelined from.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
