"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.
Moscow won't accept US proposals on Ukraine peace 'in current form,' Russian official claims
Moscow will not accept U.S. proposals to end Russia's war against Ukraine in their "current form," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said in an interview released on April 1.
"As far as we can see, there is no place in them today for our main demand, namely to solve the problems related to the root causes of this conflict. It is completely absent, and that must be overcome," state media quoted Ryabkov as telling the Russian magazine "International Affairs."
In the same interview, Ryabkov claimed Russia has not seen the U.S. give Ukraine a "signal" to end the war.
Moscow has shown signs it is unwilling to move forward on a peace deal with Ukraine, and Russian authorities have listed maximalist demands in ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine and the U.S.
Ryabkov alleged that peace talks led by the U.S. are not addressing Russia's main concerns.
"We take the models and solutions proposed by the Americans very seriously, but we can't accept it all in its current form," Ryabkov claimed.
On March 31, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Russia remains willing to engage with the U.S. despite reports that U.S. President Donald Trump is "very angry" over Russian President Vladimir Putin's latest remarks on Ukraine.
On March 27, Putin claimed a temporary government should be introduced in Ukraine to hold new elections and questioned President Volodymyr Zelensky's legitimacy.
"If he himself (Zelensky) is illegitimate, then all the others are too," Putin added.
A temporary government under the supervision of the United Nations (U.N.), and several nations should be introduced in Ukraine to hold elections, Putin said.
Putin's calls to establish a temporary government in Ukraine to replace Zelensky were "not appreciated" by Trump, U.S. State Department Spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said on March 31.
"Ukraine is... a constitutional democracy. Governance in Ukraine is determined by its constitution and the Ukrainian people," Bruce said.
Ukraine has agreed to a U.S.-proposed full 30-day ceasefire, saying on March 11 that Kyiv is ready if Russia also agrees to the terms. So far, Moscow has refused.
Asami Terajima
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