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.
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.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (L) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark MIlley (R) participate virtually in a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group on July 18, 2023 at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)
The Biden Administration has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine worth $1.3 billion, as stated in a U.S. Defense Department press release on July 19.
Included in the package are four NASAMS (National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems) medium range air defense systems, as well as Phoenix Ghost and Switchblade Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS).
NASAMS has been in service in Ukraine since November 2022, when the first systems were delivered in the midst of Russia's mass missile campaign against Ukrainian energy infrastructure. The system is seen to be particularly useful Ukraine due to the large stocks in NATO countries of the AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles used.
The statement added that the U.S. continues to meet build Ukraine's capacity to "defend its territory and deter Russian aggression over the mid and long term."
The latest pledges are made under the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI), under which Washington purchases equipment from the arms industry or U.S. partners to send to Ukraine, rather than pull from the country's own existing stocks.
The announcement comes the day after a virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group, also known as the Ramstein Group, on July 18.
The meeting was attended by Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov and hosted by the U.S. Department of Defense.
The package also includes precision aerial munitions, 152mm artillery rounds, mine clearing equipment, electronic warfare and drone detection equipment, and port security equipment. 165 tactical vehicles and 150 fuel trucks are also listed.
"The United States will continue to work with its Allies and partners to provide Ukraine with capabilities to meet its immediate battlefield needs and longer-term security assistance requirements," the statement concluded.
Martin Fornusek
