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.
A photo released by Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) of the woman detained on charges of treason (Security Service of Ukraine)
A Ukrainian woman was sentenced to life in prison for treason for providing the Russian military with photographs of strategic sites in Ukraine, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Oct. 13.
The woman was caught in the act in March 2023 by the SBU while taking pictures of a factory in Kirovohrad Oblast.
Investigators later discovered that she had been traveling around the region taking photos of different factories and industrial sites. Her primary targets were Ukrainian defense plants and oil refining infrastructure.
The woman was then sending the photos to a Russian soldier, who in turn sent them to a contact in Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB). She was allegedly recruited remotely by the FSB shortly after the beginning of the full-scale invasion.
Investigators determined that an undisclosed number of Russian strikes could be directly connected to photos that she had sent to her handler.
In mid-August, the SBU arrested a woman in Odesa for spying in a similar set of circumstances. She was suspected of informing the Russian military of arms deliveries, the deployment of Ukrainian troops, and the location of military facilities in the region. The woman was charged with treason and could also face life in prison.
Nate Ostiller is a former News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. He works on special projects as a researcher and writer for The Red Line Podcast, covering Eastern Europe and Eurasia, and focused primarily on digital misinformation, memory politics, and ethnic conflict. Nate has a Master’s degree in Russian and Eurasian Studies from the University of Glasgow, and spent two years studying abroad at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in Ukraine. Originally from the USA, he is currently based in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Daria Shulzhenko
