"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.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
"Ukraine and all allies are ready for a complete unconditional ceasefire on land, in the air, and at sea for at least 30 days, starting as early as Monday," Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote.
An advertising billboard in St. Petersburg, Russia, displays an image of a Russian military personnel urging individuals to sign a service contract with the Russian Defense Ministry on Jan. 18, 2024. (Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Russia is recruiting for its new 44th Army Corps in an attempt to expand its armed forces but may have to send it to Ukraine to sustain operations, the U.K. Defense Ministry (MoD) said on March 26.
The U.K. MoD said recruitment posters recently appeared in the city of Luga – in the newly established Leningrad Military District, where the unit will be based.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoiguannounced on Mach 20 that the Russian Armed Forces will create two new combined arms armies, 14 divisions, and 16 brigades by the end of the year.
"We will continue to strengthen the Russian military proportionately to emerging threats to our country's security,” he said.
The U.K. MoD said the creation of the 44th Army Corps was part of an effort to “expand its forces in the north-west of the country, as most of its forces remain dedicated to operations in Ukraine.”
But it added that the situation in Ukraine may mean any force expansion efforts are put on hold.
“Russia will almost certainly have to decide whether new units such as the 44th Army Corps remain in their garrisons once established, or if they’re transferred to operations in Ukraine to maintain power there,” the U.K. MoD said.
“Newly-established units have previously been immediately committed to Ukraine, and it is almost certain that the need to sustain operations is hampering Russia’s wider force expansion ambitions,” it added.
Several observers pointed out that Moscow is likely to ramp up its mobilization efforts after the rigged presidential election, during which Russian President Vladimir Putin secured another six years in power.
As Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine entered its third year, the General Staff of Ukraine's Armed Forces said that Moscow's casualties amounted to over 430,000. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin put the number at 315,000 killed and wounded.
High casualties forced Russia to launch a partial mobilization in the autumn of 2022. In January of this year, the Russian Defense Ministry said it aims to increase the size of its military to 1.5 million military personnel.
Roland Freudenstein
