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.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gives a press conference following the North Atlantic Council of Defense Ministers, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, on Feb. 14, 2019. (Photo by François WALSCHAERTS / AFP via Getty Images)
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Feb. 15 that the alliance members had pledged new commitments to support Ukraine with heavy equipment and military training at the meeting of the alliance's defense ministers.
“Ukraine has a window of opportunity to change the balance of power, and time is of the essence,” he said.
Stoltenberg didn’t elaborate on the type of military aid committed.
NATO members have also agreed to increase their defense production amid Russia’s war and to adopt a multinational project on the creation of NATO ammunition depots.
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has started new offensive actions in Ukraine, “sending in thousands and thousands more troops,” Stoltenberg said on Feb. 13, as quoted by the Financial Times.
“It is clear that we are in the race of logistics. Key capabilities like ammunition...must reach Ukraine before Russia can seize the initiative on the battlefield.”
According to Ukraine's intelligence, Russia has started a new major offensive in the east to try to capture the entire Donbas, an industrial heartland comprising Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, by March.
Stoltenberg earlier told reporters that NATO needed to increase ammunition production, which is expected to be the key subject of discussion at the Feb. 14 meeting, according to the Financial Times.
“The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles. The current rate of Ukraine’s ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defense industries under strain,” said the NATO chief.
He added that the faster Ukraine could be provided with weapons, ammunition, and other equipment, the more lives could be saved.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
