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.
The consequences of the Russian Feb. 2 missile attack on Kramatorsk. Photo: Donetsk Oblast Governor Pavlo Kyrylenko on Telegram.
Russian troops fired two missiles at central Kramatorsk in Donetsk Oblast on Feb. 2, wounding at least five people, according to Pavlo Kyrylenko, the oblast governor. Prosecutor General's Office reported six injuries in the attack.
According to the prosecutors, Russian forces used the S-300 missile system to hit the city.
The attack damaged 16 residential buildings, a children's clinic, a school, garages, and cars, Kyrylenko said. The first responders are working on the site.
The day before Russian military hit an apartment building in the city of Kramatorsk, killing three people and wounding at least 18, according to the State Emergency Service.
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