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.
While serving as a bishop in Peru, Robert Prevost, now Pope Leo XIV, called the full-scale war "a true invasion, imperialist in nature, where Russia seeks to conquer territory for reasons of power."
Speaking to CNN on May 10, Peskov commented on the latest ceasefire proposal from Ukraine and Europe, responding that Russia needs to "think about" it, but is "resistant" to pressure.
Speaking at a press conference in Kyiv on May 10, President Volodymyr Zelensky rebuked the idea of a demilitarized zone in the war and emphasized the importance of first securing a ceasefire.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva speaking at a press conference during his visit to Spain on April 26, 2023. (Photo: Jesus Hellin/Europa Press via Getty Images)
Spanish King Felipe VI told Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva during his visit to Spain that lasting peace for Ukraine "must be based on respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity," El Mundo reported on April 26.
Lula has acknowledged Ukraine's right to defend itself against Russia but repeatedly favored diplomatic solutions over supplying defense aid. The Brazilian president sparked outrage with several of his comments regarding the war, saying in early April that Ukraine should be open to the idea of giving up Crimea to ensure peace with Russia.
After meeting with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on April 15, Lula also said that the U.S. should stop "encouraging war" in Ukraine and "start talking about peace."
Lula's meeting with the king came after disagreements on the war in Ukraine with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez during a joint press conference.
It is allegedly Lula's hope that Spain joins a coalition of countries that can help broker peace between Ukraine and Russia. However, Spain has not chosen a neutral stance as Brazil has, with the country supplying tanks and other weapons to Ukraine.
During the press conference, Sánchez thanked Lula for his peace plan, but added, “In this war, there is an aggressor and a victim, and the aggressor is Putin," according to ABC News.
Lula said "there is no doubt" that Brazil condemned "Russia's violation of Ukraine’s rights with the invasion, but it is of no use to say who is right or wrong. The war must be stopped," ABC News wrote.
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The Kyiv Independent
