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.
Wally Adeyemo, deputy US Treasury secretary, speaks during a news conference at the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. (Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The U.S. government announced a new sweeping set of sanctions on July 20, which aims to target Russia's war effort. Russian officials and industries, individuals linked to Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, and Kyrgyz companies have been sanctioned.
Among the people added to the list is Alexei Kudrin, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin and corporate development advisor for the Russian tech giant Yandex.
Factories, high-technology industries, and mining companies across Russia have been listed, as well as five Russian banks. The US wants to limit the country's ability to maintain access to the global financial system.
Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo stated that the new package represents "another step in our efforts to constrain Russia’s military capabilities, its access to battlefield supplies, and its economic bottom line."
A Russian national, Valery Chekalov, and a North Korean citizen, Yong Hyuk Rim, have been sanctioned for their affiliations with the Wagner group, to which they helped supply ammunition.
Several companies based in Kyrgyzstan have also been sanctioned for their role in supplying Russia with dual-use technology - equipment that can be used not only by civilians, but also the military.
The Washington Post reported on July 18 that US officials have been concerned about the role Kyrgyz companies play in bypassing sanctions. The Central Asian country is a popular route for Russia to obtain components for drones, aircraft parts and bomb circuitry.
Public records show that the overall volume of the country's exports to Russia jumped by 250% over the previous year, before the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
European Pravda noted that two of the sanctioned companies, which ship electronic and aviation equipment to Russia, were established within a month of the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
“As long as Russia continues to wage its unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine, we will impose sanctions to deprive Russia of the technology it needs and disrupt the Russian arms industry’s ability to resupply,” said Adeyemo.
The move comes the same day as the announcement of new EU sanctions against Iran. The measures prohibit the export of components to Iran which are commonly used in the construction of attack drones.
The sanctions come after months of reports from the Ukrainian authorities that the Iranian-made Russian attack drones contain western parts. The kamikaze drones are used to exhaust and detect Ukrainian air defense prior to launching missiles.
