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."
A rocket with cluster bomb stuck in a buildling in the front line city of Avdiika. (Photo by Andre Luis Alves/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
White House officials said they expect U.S. President Joe Biden to approve the transfer of cluster munitions to Ukraine, the New York Times reported.
Cluster munitions disperse multiple small bomblets upon detonation, are deadlier and cover more ground than traditional artillery. President Volodymyr Zelensky has lobbied the U.S. for months to provide the weapons in support of the Ukrainian counteroffensive.
Though the U.S. has stalled on approving the request, a top American security official told the Times the weapons are "100 percent necessary" in order for Ukraine to retake territory.
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken advised Biden to send cluster munitions to Ukraine, anonymous officials told the Times.
Cluster munitions would help Ukrainian forces more effectively fight entrenched Russian soldiers blocking the advance of the counteroffensive. They can also compensate for decreasing artillery reserves.
Officials who spoke to the Times said a key factor in Biden's decision was improved technology on the design of the bombs, which the Pentagon argues gives the weapons a "dud rate" of only two percent.
"Duds" are cluster bombs that fail to denotate when they hit the ground. These can be lethal to civilians, including children, who come across the undenotated weapons.
The officials pointed out that the cluster munitions Russia has deployed throughout the war have a dud rate of 40 percent or more, causing far greater danger. Ukraine and Russia have both used cluster munitions since Russia began a full-scale invasion in February of 2022.
Abbey Fenbert is a senior news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She is a freelance writer, editor, and playwright with an MFA from Boston University. Abbey served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ukraine from 2008-2011.
Mark Dietzen
