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.
Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen addresses members of the media ahead of a demonstration of border crossing by Swedish and Finnish troops as part of the NATO Nordic Response 24 military exercise on March 9, 2024, on the Finnish side of the Kivilompolo border crossing between Finland and Norway, located above the Arctic Circle. (Jonathan Nackstrand/AFP via Getty Images)
The Finnish government has approved its 27th military aid package for Ukraine worth 198 million euros ($206 million), the Finnish Defense Ministry said on Jan. 31.
This brings Finland's total defense aid provided to Ukraine since the outbreak of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 to 2.5 billion euros ($2.6 billion). As with the previous Finnish aid packages, the content of the latest tranche is classified.
"This package of almost 200 million euros has been built in close cooperation with Ukraine. We are providing exactly the kind of support that will help Ukraine defend itself in an acute situation on the front," Finnish Defense Minister Antti Hakkanen said in a press release.
"It is up to us Europeans how Europe's security continues to develop. Securing Ukraine's independence and ability to defend itself is the most important thing right now," Hakkanen said.
Finland's neighbor, Sweden, recently announced its largest military aid package for Ukraine worth over $1.2 billion, including 16 CB90 combat boats with weapons stations, a million rounds of 12.7 mm ammunition, 146 trucks, 1,500 TOW anti-tank missiles, as well as 200 AT4 anti-tank launchers.
The assistance comes amid expectations that Kyiv's European partners will have to take up greater responsibility for helping Ukraine as the U.S. shifts toward "America First" policy under President Donald Trump.
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.
Kateryna Denisova
