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.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, gives a press conference during an official visit to Le Havre, western France, on June 24, 2019. (Loic Venance / AFP via Getty Images)
Moscow has not received official requests from foreign companies seeking to return to Russia after exiting due to the Russia-Ukraine war and sanctions, Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council and former president, told state-owned news agency TASS on March 20.
“No one has officially applied yet. So, they are informally probing the ground,” Medvedev claimed.
His statement follows Russian President Vladimir Putin’s directive to the Cabinet of Ministers to prepare for the return of Western companies, emphasizing that Russian firms should have "certain advantages" over those re-entering the market.
The decision comes as relations between Russia and the U.S. show signs of rapprochement.
The Kremlin said on March 18 that U.S. President Donald Trump and Putin are developing "mutually beneficial cooperation" in several areas as part of efforts to normalize relations between the two countries.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hundreds of Western companies have withdrawn from the Russian market, unwilling to contribute to the country's economy or war effort.
According to the Kyiv School of Economics Institute, 472 foreign firms have fully exited, while another 1,360 have scaled down their operations.
Medvedev insisted that Russia did not force foreign companies out, claiming they left "under pressure from their governments" and "out of fear."
The former president warned that any firms looking to return should expect "a separate conversation" and that those who stay out permanently are of no concern to Moscow.
Despite intensified diplomatic contacts between Washington and Moscow over the war in Ukraine, no major Western companies have publicly indicated plans to return to Russia.
The Kremlin has made it difficult for departing businesses by requiring government approval, imposing a mandatory 50% discount on asset sales, and enforcing a 10% "exit tax."
Russian authorities have also seized assets from subsidiaries of foreign companies that continued operating in the country.
These restrictions are widely viewed as retaliation for Western sanctions, including the freezing of approximately $300 billion in Russian central bank assets.
While some companies have found ways to continue limited operations in Russia through intermediaries or licensing agreements, large-scale reentry remains unlikely under current geopolitical conditions.
Tim Zadorozhnyy is a news editor at The Kyiv Independent. Based in Warsaw, he is pursuing studies in International Relations, focusing on European Studies. Tim began his career at a local television channel in Odesa. After moving to Warsaw, he joined the Belarusian opposition media outlet NEXTA, starting as a news anchor and later advancing to the position of managing editor.
Martin Fornusek
