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.
Ukrainian soldiers carry a surveillance drone in Donetsk Oblast, Aug. 05, 2023. (Ignacio Marin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Ukraine has launched mass production of kamikaze drones with a maximum range of 1,000 kilometers, Herman Smetanin, the head of the state-owned Ukrainian Defense Industry concern, formerly known as Ukroboronprom, told Ukrainska Pravda.
The production is carried out in cooperation with foreign partners, and the Ukrainian military is already ordering the drones for its operations, according to Smetanin.
The former management of the Ukrainian Defense Industry announced on Jan. 13 that it was developing a kamikaze drone capable of reaching a target 1,000 kilometers away. It was at the testing stage back then.
In the Ukrainska Pravda interview, Smetanin also said that part of the 2024 budget for Ukraine's defense industry would be spent on developing ammunition production capabilities.
Kyiv will allocate seven times more money for the development, modernization, and development of the country's defense industry the next year than in 2023, the official added.
Dinara Khalilova is a reporter at the Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a news editor. In the early weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion, she worked as a fixer and local producer for Sky News’ team in Ukraine. Dinara holds a BA in journalism from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv and a Master’s degree in media and communication from the U.K.’s Bournemouth University.
Francis Farrell
