"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.
Tver Oblast Governor Igor Rudenya during the opening ceremony of the last phase of the Moscow-Saint Petersburg motorway on July 16, 2024. (Contributor/Getty Images)
Editor's note: a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) later told the Kyiv Independent that the SBU and Ukrainian Armed Forces were responsible for attacking a weapons depot in Toropets in Tver Oblast.
Local authorities have partially evacuated residents of Toropets in Russia’s Tver Oblast after a mass drone attack overnight caused a large fire, Tver Oblast Governor Igor Rudenya claimed on Sept. 18.
Photos and videos shared on Russian Telegram channels showed a number of explosions and a large plume of smoke, purportedly at the site of an ammunition depot in Toropets. The Kyiv Independent could not immediately verify the location of the explosions.
Toropets has a population of 11,000, and is situated around 470 kilometers (292 miles) north of the Ukrainian border and over 370 kilometers (230 miles) west of Moscow.
"A fire started as a result of drone wreckage falling while air defense forces were repelling an attack," Rudenya claimed on Telegram at 3:30 a.m. local time, adding that the situation was under control.
At 4 a.m. local time, Rudenya announced the decision "to partially evacuate the population from the territory where air defense is operating and the fire is being localized" as air defense continued to "repel a massive attack of drones in the sky above the city."
"The necessary measures are being taken. The situation is under control."
According to state media outlet RIA Novosti, the population was being evacuated to the town of Zapadnaya Dvina, 35 kilometers (22 miles) southeast of Toropets.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed that 54 Ukrainian drones had been downed overnight, but did not mention any drones downed over Tver Oblast.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry's 8 a.m. report, 27 drones were downed over Kursk Oblast, 16 over Bryansk Oblast, seven over Smolensk Oblast, three over Belgorod Oblast, and one over Oryol Oblast.
Kyiv did not comment on Moscow's claims, but Ukraine is known to use domestically-produced drones to strike targets deep inside Russia.
A previous drone attack on Tver Oblast reportedly targeted a major chemical research plant.
Images and videos shared by local residents on Russian Telegram channels appeared to show a large explosion on June 27 near Redkino, home to the Redkinsky plant.
At the time, Rudenya only claimed that a drone was downed over Konakovsky district in Tver Oblast, the same area in which the Redkinsky plant is located.
Elsa Court is the audience development manager at the Kyiv Independence. She previously worked as a news editor at the Kyiv Independent and was previously an intern at the Kyiv Post. She has a Master’s in Conflict Studies and Human Rights from Utrecht University. Elsa is originally from the UK.
Daria Shulzhenko
