"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.
An M113 armored personnel carrier (mtcurado via Getty Images)
Lithuania will send Ukraine 14 M113 armored personnel carriers to assist in the country's demining efforts, the country's defense ministry announced on June 12.
"The transferred armored vehicles are intended to strengthen the demining capabilities of the Ukrainian army and are Lithuania's gratuitous contribution to the support mobilized by the Demining Coalition jointly led by Iceland," it said in a statement.
The U.S.-built vehicles will arrive this week, it added.
Nearly a third of Ukraine's territory, totaling around 174,000 square kilometers, has been mined since Russia's full-scale invasion began in February 2022.
Minefields between Ukrainian troops and entrenched Russian positions played a significant role in halting the 2023 counteroffensive and preventing the liberation of occupied territories.
The Ukrainian government reported on April 4 that mine-related explosions had killed 296 civilians and injured 665 others.
At the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Russia had a stockpile of 26 million landmines —the largest in the world, according to various estimates.
Chris York
