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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak on the second day of NATO's 2023 Vilnius Summit on July 12, 2023, in Vilnius, Lithuania. (Photo by Paul Ellis - Pool/Getty Images)
The British government presented a new military aid package for Ukraine at the Vilnius NATO summit on July 12, including tank rounds and armored vehicles.
This includes more than 1,000 rounds for Challenger 2 tanks, more than 70 combat and logistics vehicles, including CVRT armored fighting vehicles, and a $65 million contract to support the already provided British equipment.
The U.K. also pledged to launch, in cooperation with NATO, a medical rehabilitation center for soldiers in Ukraine.
Reuters reported on the planned U.K. package on the first day of the summit on July 11 as the allies convened to discuss security aid for Ukraine and Kyiv's membership bid.
The Group of Seven, which includes the U.K., presented a joint security framework under which individual members will help to develop Ukraine's defense capabilities to protect itself against present and future Russian aggression.
Other nations came to the summit with their own aid packages as well. Germany presented a $770 million aid package, including new Patriot air defense systems, France announced a transfer of long-range SCALP missiles, and Norway pledged a NASAMS air defense support package and 1,000 reconnaissance drones.
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.
Martin Fornusek
