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.
Photo for illustrative purposes only. Swiss flag waving on historic building (Getty Images)
Switzerland could contribute around 200 troops to a prospective peacekeeping mission in Ukraine if such a request were received and if the government agreed, Swiss armed forces chief Thomas Suessli said on Feb. 23.
"We could probably field around 200 soldiers in nine to 12 months," Suessli stated in an interview with Blick newspaper.
He made the distinction between peacekeeping and peace-enforcement operations and said that Switzerland would not participate in any peace-enforcement operations as they involve some degree of force.
"Peace-enforcement means peace must be imposed by force of arms. Switzerland does not participate,” he said.
"Peacekeeping presupposes Russia and Ukraine agree to cease hostilities and accept the UN sending a peacekeeping force to guarantee peace," Suessli added.
However, he also noted that at this point there are no concrete requests from the UN, and that these questions are currently hypothetical.
While refusing to supply Kyiv with military aid on account of its long-term neutrality policy, Switzerland has provided economic and humanitarian support worth over $3 billion.
Switzerland also hosted the 2024 global peace summit, which had representatives from around 100 countries, as well as the 2022 Ukraine Recovery Conference in Lugano, which laid down principles for Ukraine's reconstruction and recovery.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
