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.
The Xiaomi Corporation logo, the Chinese designer and manufacturer of consumer electronics and related software, displayed on their stand during the Mobile World Congress 2023 on March 2, 2023, in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Ukraine's National Corruption Prevention Agency has designated Chinese tech brand Xiaomi an "international sponsor of war," according to an April 13 press release.
The company is known not only for its smartphones but tablets, laptops, wearable devices, TVs, routers and other smart home devices.
According to the National Corruption Prevention Agency, Xiaomi was designated as an "international sponsor of war" for continuing to do business in Russia following its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"While the Russians bombed peaceful Ukrainian cities, Xiaomi managed to increase deliveries to the Russian Federation by 39% in the third quarter of 2022 compared to the previous one," the press statement read.
The company is now the leader in smartphone sales in Russia, meaning that the Russian market is extremely lucrative for the Chinese company.
According to the National Corruption Prevention Agency, Xiaomi has not conducted marketing campaigns in Moscow since spring 2022.
However, Xiaomi is now "actively resuming recruitment for its Russian offices" and "announced the official start of sales of flagship smartphones," which led the government agency to believe Xiaomi is resuming an active presence in the Russian market.
"Xiaomi Corporation is sponsoring the military aggression of a terrorist state and must bear both the reputational and legal consequences of its actions," the National Corruption Prevention Agency said.
The government agency has already designated 21 companies as "international sponsors of the war," according to the press statement.
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.
