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."
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.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his annual meeting with the Federal Assembly on Feb. 21, 2023, in Moscow, Russia. (Photo by Contributor/Getty Images)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin signed a law officially suspending Russia's participation in the New START treaty on Feb. 28.
He first announced the suspension during his state-of-the-nation address to the Federal Assembly and members of the Russian political elite on Feb. 21.
In 2010, the U.S. and Russia signed a treaty in Prague that aimed to reduce their nuclear arms. The pact limits each country to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads and 700 deployed missiles and bombers. It was the sole agreement governing arms control between the two nations.
During his address, Putin also said that Russia would "not allow" the U.S. or NATO countries to inspect its nuclear arsenal, adding that a week prior, he signed a decree putting new strategic ground-based systems of nuclear missiles on combat duty. He also said that Russia is prepared to test nuclear weapons if the U.S. does so first.
The statement is recent in a series of nuclear threats that Russia has made since the beginning of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Putin's initial announcement was met with fierce criticism from Ukraine's Western allies.
"With today’s decision on New START, the whole arms control architecture has been dismantled," NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference later that day. "I strongly encourage Russia to reconsider its decision and to respect existing agreements."
Responding to Putin's announcement, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that "nobody is attacking Russia. There’s a kind of absurdity in the notion that Russia was under some form of military threat from Ukraine or anyone else."
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