"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.
Remains of a Shahed 136 kamikaze drone at an exhibition showing remains of missiles and drones that Russia used to attack Kyiv on May 12, 2023, in Kyiv. (Photo credit: Oleksii Samsonov /Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Damage from the overnight drone attack on Kyiv Oblast is more serious than previously reported, according to the Kyiv Oblast Military Administration.
Four people were wounded; 100 private homes and 30 apartments were damaged, along with a kindergarten building, a town administration building, a rehab center, two stores, a storage building, and a parking lot.
Most of the damage consisted of broken windows and doors, with some damage to facades and roofs. One of the victims has serious head trauma, the rest got off with light injuries.
Overnight on Sept. 10, Ukraine's air defenses shot down 26 of 33 of the Shahed type drones that Russia used to attack the capital from multiple directions. Some buildings in the city were damaged, according to initial reports.
The Shahed series consists of cheap, single-use, triangle-shaped loitering munitions powered by a single propeller. They carry a moderately powerful warhead that can demolish a small building with a direct hit. They are easier to destroy but more cost-effective than ballistic or cruise missiles.
Russia bought Shaheds en masse from Iran, rebranding them as the Geran series. Over the past year, Russia launched Shahed production on its own territory and regularly uses them to strike at civilian targets in Ukraine.
Igor is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously covered conflict in the Middle East, investigated corruption in Ukraine and man-made environmental damage in Southeast Asia. He has a Master’s in Journalism from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and was published in the Kyiv Post, USA Today, The Atlantic, Daily Beast and Foreign Policy.
Anna Myroniuk
