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.
President Volodymyr Zelensky shakes hands with World Bank's Vice President for Europe and Central Asia, Anna Bjerde, during a meeting with her delegation in Kyiv on March 24, 2023. (President's Office)
President Volodymyr Zelensky met with the World Bank delegation led by Vice President for Europe and Central Asia Anna Bjerde on March 24.
According to Ukraine's Presidential Office, the meeting's participants discussed the World Bank-coordinated projects on financing Ukraine's recovery, mainly in the areas of transport and energy infrastructure as well as health care.
Zelensky emphasized the urgency of assisting Ukraine to rapidly restore destroyed infrastructure facilities, especially residential buildings and educational institutions.
He also told the World Bank delegation how important it is to implement business insurance programs in Ukraine to facilitate job creation, President's Office wrote.
Zelensky thanked the World Bank for the "unprecedented support" provided to Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion began. According to Bloomberg, the World Bank has already mobilized $20.6 billion for Kyiv.
On March 23, the World Bank increased its assessment of Ukraine's needs for recovery and reconstruction to at least $411 billion based on the damages caused by the first year of Russia's all-out war.
According to the Kyiv School of Economics, the total damages in Ukraine caused by Russia's war have reached almost $143.8 billion as of February 2023.
We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.
