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."
Firefighters deal with the aftermath of a Russian attack in Nikopol, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Ukraine, in which three people were injured on Sept. 18, 2024. (Serhii Lysak/Telegram)
One person has been killed, and four people, including a nine-year-old boy, have been injured during Russian attacks in the Nikopol district of Dnipropetrovsk Oblast in southeastern Ukraine, Governor Serhii Lysak said on Sept. 18.
The child and two women, aged 43 and 69, were injured during shelling in the city of Marhanets.
Lysak earlier reported that a "kamikaze drone strike" in the city of Nikopol had injured a 42-year-old man and a 36-year-old woman.
"Sincere condolences to family and friends," the governor added.
The Russian army regularly fires on the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities, targeting hospitals, among other facilities.
Russian attacks across Ukraine killed at least four civilians and injured at least 22 over the previous day, regional authorities reported early on Sept. 18.
Chris York is news operations editor at the Kyiv Independent. Before joining the team, he was head of news at the Kyiv Post. Previously, back in Britain, he spent nearly a decade working for HuffPost UK. He holds an MA in Conflict, Development, and Security from the University of Leeds.
Elsa Court
