Preliminary findings suggest that one of the men killed the other before taking his own life.
Western leaders dismissed the Kremlin's proposal for talks in Istanbul on May 15 as insufficient.
The Kremlin said the leaders held a detailed discussion about the Russian initiative and Erdogan expressed full support, reiterating Turkey’s readiness to provide a venue and assist in organizing the negotiations.
Erdogan told Macron that international cooperation is critical for initiating peace negotiations and the "sensitive implementation" of Ukraine’s recovery and reconstruction processes, the Turkish Presidency reported.
Pope said he was praying to God to grant the world the "miracle of peace."
Ushakov’s comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 11 invitation for direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul starting May 15.
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.
Zelensky called a ceasefire the essential first step toward ending the war.
The number includes 1,310 casualties that Russian forces suffered over the past day.
"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."
"An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters on May 11.
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."
Ukraine's military confirms gaining initiative near Bakhmut, makes further advances
Serhii Cherevatyi, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian military's Eastern Operational Command, confirmed on May 19 that Ukrainian forces were gaining the battlefield initiative near Bakhmut.
Over the past day, Ukrainian troops have advanced up to 500 meters in some areas of the Bakhmut front line, Cherevatyi said, as cited by Ukrainska Pravda news outlet.
"The situation is very difficult in this area but controlled," the military official said on national television. "The enemy continues to carry out assaults in the city itself. Our units also put pressure on the enemy where possible and continue to advance through the territory."
In its latest update on Russia's war against Ukraine, the Institute for the Study of War wrote that Ukraine's military had seized the tactical initiative and made "tactically significant" gains around Bakhmut.
"These operations are a continuation of the localized counter-attacks Ukrainian forces have been conducting for some days and do not reflect the start of a major new operation," the D.C.-based think tank clarified.

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