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.
"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.
Illustrated map of Ukraine, with Sumy Oblast noted in red. (Ruslan Maiborodin)
Russian forces shelled Ukraine's northeastern Sumy Oblast 22 times on Jan. 26, firing at eight communities and causing over 100 explosions, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
The Russian military targeted the communities of Khotin, Yunakivka, Bilopillia, Myropillia, Esman, Znob-Novhorodske, Velyka Pysarivka, and Druzhbivka. Throughout the day, Russia assailed the border communities with mortar, artillery, and drone attacks, while also dropping mines on the village of Bilopillia.
No casualties or damage to civilian infrastructure was reported.
The town of Bilopillia, with a pre-war population of about 15,600 residents, experienced the most attacks during the day with Russia dropping at least 37 mines on the community. The town is located 45 kilometers away from Sumy, the regional center.
The residents who live in the vulnerable communities along Sumy Oblast's northeastern border with Russia are subject to daily shelling from nearby Russian troops.
Rachel Amran is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked on the Europe and Central Asia team of Human Rights Watch investigating war crimes in Ukraine. Rachel holds a master's degree in Russian, Eastern European, and Eurasian Regional Studies from Columbia University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
