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.
A school destroyed by Russian shelling in Bilopillia, Sumy Oblast, March 2023. (Photo by Andriy Kramchenkov/Suspilne Ukraine/JSC "UA:PBC"/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Russian forces attacked Sumy Oblast 15 times on Aug. 29, shelling eight communities, the Sumy Oblast Military Administration reported.
The attacks damaged a tractor in Novoslobidske and a private home in Seredyna-Buda.
No other casualties were reported.
The border communities of Svesa, Velyka Pysarivka, Khotin, Bilopillia, Druzhba, and Znob-Novhorodske also came under fire. The attacks caused a total of 115 explosions throughout the day.
Russian forces attacked with mines, grenade launchers, mortar shelling, and artillery.
Sumy Oblast lies on Ukraine's northeastern border with Russia. For over a year, the Russian military has terrorized settlements along the border with daily shelling.
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.
Francis Farrell
