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.
Georgian and EU flags are seen during a protest on Dec. 8, 2024 over the results of October's parliamentary election in Tbilisi, Georgia. (Aziz Karimov/Getty Images)
The Nordic Baltic Eight countries have urged Georgia to investigate and consider holding new elections following disputed parliamentary elections in October and the inauguration of the new president, according to their statement published on Dec. 29.
The countries include Lithuania, Latvia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia.
Georgian anti-Western politician Mikheil Kavelashvili, an ally of the ruling Georgian Dream party, was inaugurated as the country's sixth president on Dec. 29 in a move seen as illegitimate by the opposition.
The eight countries expressed concerns over reported irregularities during the elections, violence against peaceful demonstrators, and threats to Georgia’s fifth and previous President Salome Zourabishvili, who disputes the legitimacy of the election results.
Lithuanian Foreign Minister Baiba Braze emphasized the need to restore public confidence in Georgia's democratic institutions and called for implementing OSCE electoral recommendations as a step toward resolving the crisis.
“As long-standing friends of Georgia, and supporters of the European aspirations of the Georgian people, we are alarmed by the country’s path toward deeper polarisation and crisis,” the statement said.
“Georgia urgently needs a way out of the crisis, and to restore public trust in its democratic institutions.”
The statement condemned the use of intimidation and urged the Georgian authorities to take immediate action.
Sonya Bandouil is a North American news editor for The Kyiv Independent. She previously worked in the fields of cybersecurity and translating, and she also edited for various journals in NYC.
Sonya has a Master’s degree in Global Affairs from New York University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Music from the University of Houston, in Texas.
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