"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.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
A damaged Russian military vehicle and military boots are seen after Russian Forces withdrawal in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine on Sep. 14, 2022. (Metin Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Companies that make boots for the Russian army have spent $4.1 million on materials from EU countries in 2023, according to a report by the Ukrainian investigative journalism project Trap Aggressor on Nov. 20.
Journalists collected Russian boots found in Ukraine and examined the purchase history of their manufacturers, tracing the imports of leather, glue, and spare parts for shoe-making machines over the last year.
Some boots worn by Russian soldiers on the battlefield were reportedly made by the Russian company Faraday, which presented its shoes at the Army 2023 International Forum in Moscow and received at least six orders for shoes from the Russian Internal Affairs Ministry in 2022.
Faraday bought $1.7 million worth of leather and other materials from the Italian company Conceria Cervinia at the start of 2023, Trap Aggressor reported.
The shoe manufacturer also bought $300,000 worth of materials from the German chemical company Jakob Keck Chemie, which produces varnishes, adhesives, and paints for the shoe industry.
A third company, the German leather fiber manufacturer Salamander, provided $80,000 of materials to Faraday, Trap Aggressor said.
The same company also supplied $60,000 worth of materials to the boot manufacturer Donobuv, which has publicly stated that it supplies the Russian military.
Salamander released a statement in May 2023, saying it had decided to "immediately stop deliveries" to Russia and Belarus.
"Salamander's approach is tougher and tougher than the current EU sanctions list calls for," Trap Aggressor quotes the company's statement.
The EU limits trade in dual-use goods, such as drone motors, which can be utilized for both military and civilian purposes.
However, leather, rubber, shoe soles, and other materials involved in boot manufacturing do not fall under the categorization of dual-use goods and therefore can be sold to Russia.
Moreover, Faraday and Donobuv are companies that fall under Ukrainian sanctions, but not EU sanctions, Trap Aggressor noted.
Without further sanctions, companies based in the EU are ensuring that Russian army boots "are made of high-quality European leather," Trap Aggressor warned.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Roman Steblivskyi
