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.
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."
Governor of the National Bank of Ukraine Kyrylo Shevchenko (L) and President Volodymyr Zelensky walk inside the central's bank headquarters on July 20, 2020 in Kyiv. (Presidential press service)
National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) head Kyrylo Shevchenko told Bloomberg on Dec. 10 that he's endured political pressure since his appointment in July 2020.
“We see attempts by certain actors to influence the decision-making process in the NBU, smear campaigns targeting the bank and its top management and even criminal cases,” Shevchenko said in the interview.
This kind of pressure, he added, is an inherent downside of being the governor of Ukraine's central bank. “My predecessor, (Yakiv Smolii), has gone through the same,” Shevchenko said.
Smolii resigned in July 2020, blaming political pressure. The former governor had complained about disagreements with President Volodymyr Zelensky and media campaigns aiming to discredit him. Smolii's resignation raised concerns among international financial institutions that consider the NBU's independence to be of paramount importance.
As of today, Shevchenko said that he is not worried about the central bank's independence, thanks in part to a new law passed by parliament on Oct. 19 to fulfill Ukraine's commitment to the International Monetary Fund.
This new law limits the powers of the NBU Council, an advisory body appointed by parliament and the president. This body, which develops monetary policy and evaluates the central bank's performance, has repeatedly clashed with the NBU's leadership in the past.
The new law strips away the NBU Council's power to evaluate the impact of the NBU's governance and policy decisions.
The legislation also introduces a code of ethics for NBU employees and clarifies the grounds for dismissal of the head of the central bank and their team.
Numerous high-level NBU employees resigned throughout Shevchenko's year and a half in office. Some of them accused the governor of pressuring them out and introducing a "my way or the highway" leadership style that hurt the collegiality of the central bank. Shevchenko and his team denied these accusations.
In October, Bloomberg reported that Zelensky wanted to replace Shevchenko as the head of the NBU. Zelensky has repeatedly and publicly questioned Shevchenko’s performance and even said that he regretted appointing him.
However, during a press marathonon Nov. 26, Zelensky said that he has no immediate plans to replace Shevchenko, but can change his opinion in a month.
When asked by Bloomberg what he thinks of Zelensky’s words, Shevchenko said that he would rather “refrain from interpreting them.”
“It is better to ask him,” he added.
As of today, Shevchenko said that he’s not going anywhere.
“We've done a lot of work to stabilize the market, ensure record profits of the banking sector and strengthen the independence of the NBU,” he said. “We have a lot of plans ahead.”
Daryna Antoniuk is a tech reporter at the Kyiv Independent. She worked in the same role at the Kyiv Post and has focused on Ukrainian startups, investment and the fintech market. Antoniuk previously was a tech reporter for Forbes Ukraine. Her work has also been published at Sifted and The Record. She graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv with BA in journalism and communications.
