"There is no point in prolonging the killings. And I will wait for Putin on Thursday in Turkey," President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"We cannot allow NATO's military infrastructure to get that close to our borders," Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.
This week, the world watched in anticipation for Russia’s Victory Day parade after President Volodymyr Zelensky commented that he could not guarantee the safety of those attending. Meanwhile, the European Union moves one step forward to banning Russian gas from the European continent. It is also revealed this week that U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has fallen out of step with the White House.
"(Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin... doesn't want to have a ceasefire agreement with Ukraine, but rather wants to meet on Thursday, in Turkey, to negotiate a possible end to the bloodbath. Ukraine should agree to this, immediately," U.S. President Donald Trump said.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will travel to to Antalya, Turkey, for a NATO foreign ministers’ meeting from May 14–16, where he is expected to address the war in Ukraine and push for stronger Allied defense commitments.
Preliminary findings suggest that one of the men killed the other before taking his own life.
Western leaders dismissed the Kremlin's proposal for talks in Istanbul on May 15 as insufficient.
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 pope said he was praying to God to grant the world the "miracle of peace."
Ushakov’s comments follow Russian President Vladimir Putin's May 11 invitation for direct talks with Ukraine in Istanbul starting May 15.
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.
Zelensky called a ceasefire the essential first step toward ending the war.
'Crosses any line of decency' — US Envoy Kellogg condemns Russian attack on Sumy
Russia's deadly Palm Sunday missile strike on the city of Sumy "crosses any line of decency," U.S. Special Envoy to Ukraine Keith Kellogg said on April 13 in a post condemning the attack.
Russia launched two ballistic missiles at Ukraine's northeastern city of Sumy on the morning of April 13, killing at least 34 people and injuring at least 117. The attack came on Palm Sunday, as many citizens were celebrating the religious holiday in the leadup to Easter.
"Today's Palm Sunday attack by Russian forces on civilian targets in Sumy crosses any line of decency," Kellogg wrote on X.
"There are scores of civilian dead and wounded. As a former military leader, I understand targeting and this is wrong. It is why President Trump is working hard to end this war."
The attack comes amid Washington's attempts to orchestrate a ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine. While U.S. President Donald Trump originally tapped Kellogg to lead negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow, the retired general has been relegated to a supporting role as Trump's Special Middle East Envoy, Steve Witkoff, has emerged as a key figure in the talks.
Witkoff met personally with Russian President Vladimir Putin in St. Petersburg on April 11, just two days before the attack. On the same day, Reuters reported that Witkoff and Kellogg were at odds in their approach to the peace process in Ukraine.
Kyiv agreed to a full 30-day ceasefire a month ago, but Moscow has so far refused and has continued to launch attacks on Ukraine's civilian centers.
The day before the attack, President Donald Trump said that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine were "going fine," but emphasized that a resolution must come soon.
Kellogg's condemnation echoes the statements of many European leaders, who said the deliberate attack on civilians indicated that Russia was not ready for peace.
While several leaders called for increased sanctions and pressure against Moscow, Kellogg's statement fell short of demanding any consequences for Russia's attack.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
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