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.
The view of the occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant from Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. Illustrative purposes only. (Francis Farrell / The Kyiv Independent)
Russia attacked Dnipropetrovsk Oblast's Nikopol with "kamikaze" drones and artillery in two separate strikes on Oct. 24, injuring a resident, Governor Serhii Lysak reported.
The victim, a 36-year-old man, was hospitalized with shrapnel wounds and is in moderate condition, the governor said.
A hotel, a veterinarian clinic, a car, and a power line were reportedly damaged in the attacks.
The city of Nikopol lies at the mostly dried-up Kakhovka Reservoir, just across the Russian-occupied Enerhodar and Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant. It is a regular target of Russian attacks.
Russian forces targeted Dnipropetrovsk Oblast during the night and in the morning, using artillery and missiles.
In the attacks against the Synelnykove district, Russian forces damaged a cafe, a school, a bank, a pharmacy, and 10 houses but inflicted no casualties, according to the governor.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Alexander Khrebet
