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.
Minister for Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshyn and Czech First Deputy Defense Minister František Šulc sign a memorandum on military-technical cooperation between Ukraine and Czechia in the presence of Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala, in Prague, Czechia, July 7, 2023. (Source: Minister Oleksandr Kamyshyn/Telegram)
Ukraine and the Czech Republic on July 7 signed a memorandum on cooperation in arms production, military modernization, and other areas, Ukraine's Ministry of Strategic Industries reported.
The memorandum was signed by Minister of Strategic Industries Oleksandr Kamyshyn and Czech First Deputy Defense Minister František Šulc during President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to Prague.
"We are focusing on small arms, ammunition, and the modernization of armored vehicles," Kamyshyn commented on Telegram.
According to the Czech Defense Ministry, other areas of cooperation will include military research and development, training experts and technicians, and the modernization and repairs of tanks.
The two countries also agreed to cooperate on the modernization of air forces and electronic warfare methods, the Czech ministry wrote.
Zelensky and other Ukrainian officials arrived in Prague on July 6 as part of a series of state visits ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11-12.
During the visit, the Czech government pledged to provide Ukraine with attack helicopters, and large-caliber ammunition and help with the training of Ukrainian pilots on F-16 fighter jets.
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.
Dinara Khalilova
