"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.
"We agreed that a full and unconditional ceasefire must begin on Monday, May 12, for at least 30 days. We jointly demand this from Russia, and we know we are supported in this by the United States," Zelensky said.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Soldiers with the 32nd Mechanized Brigade on the move in May, two months before being going to the frontline. (Photo credit: Oleksandr Bordian / Courtesy)
There is a "realistic possibility" that Ukrainian forces can break through the remaining Russian defensive lines on the southern front by the end of 2023, Trent Maul, the director of analysis of the U.S.' Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), said in an interview with The Economist on Sept. 6.
Ukraine's forces pierced through the first of three Russian defensive lines near the village of Robotyne and are attacking the second line, with notable success, the official of the Pentagon's intelligence agency said.
"Had we had this conversation two weeks ago, I would have been slightly more pessimistic," Maul told The Economist.
"Their (Ukraine's) breakthrough on that second defensive belt…is actually pretty considerable."
However, the future progress will depend on Ukraine's supply of artillery and on the weather conditions during the fall, he added.
Ukrainian General Oleksandr Tarnavsky told the Guardian that Russian forces devoted 80% of their time and resources to building the first and second defensive lines on the southern front. Maul nevertheless warned that the bulk of Russian forces remained at the third line.
According to an unnamed U.S. official cited by The Economist, Ukraine has around six to seven weeks of combat left before its counteroffensive culminates. Disagreements on Kyiv's chances continue in Washington, with some predicting that the campaign will be hampered by the heavy casualties Ukrainian forces have sustained, the outlet reported.
Maul however reminded that Russian General Sergei Surovikin, who oversaw the construction of the defensive lines, has been sacked, and Yevgeny Prigozhin, whose Wagner Group was responsible for the main Russian successes on the battlefield, died in a plane crash.
The DIA official noted that Ukraine's recent progress was "significant," giving it a "realistic possibility" to break through the second and third line in 2023. The Economist commented that the term "realistic possibility" usually translates in the U.S. intelligence circles as 40-50% probability of success.
Ukraine's counteroffensive has been ongoing in the country's south and east since June. While Western observers have noted the relatively slow progress of the campaign, Ukrainian forces recently reported major successes on the southern front line.
On Sept. 3, General Tarnavsky said that Russia's first defensive line near Zaporizhzhia had been breached. The push-through was possible thanks to a meticulous mine-clearing operation, the commander noted, adding that the second line is less fortified.
Last week, U.S. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby also said that Ukraine made "notable progress" on the southern front. According to the Institute for the Study of War, Kyiv's forces continue to advance south of Robotyne and northwest of Verbove.
Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.
Dinara Khalilova
