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 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.
Illustrative image: Dry bulk cargo vessels, including ships carrying grain, at the southern entrance to the Bosporus Strait leading to the Black Sea beyond pleasure boats docked in a harbor in Istanbul, Turkey, on Wednesday, Nov. 2, 2022. (Nicole Tung/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Editor's note: The article has been updated to reflect comments made by Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha.
Russian forces struck a foreign civilian ship flying the flag of Palau in Odesa on Oct. 7, according to Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper. A 60 year-old Ukrainian port employee was killed and five foreign nationals were injured as a result of the attack.
The attack marks the second time a foreign vessel was struck in Odesa Oblast in the past two days. An overnight attack on Oct. 6 struck the Paresa, a civilian cargo ship flying the flag of Saint Kitts and Nevis, causing damage to the boat at the Pivdennyi Port.
The vessel attacked on Oct. 6 was loaded with about 6,000 tons of Ukrainian corn intended for export. No casualties were reported in that attack.
Following the second attack on Oct. 7, four of the foreign nationals remain in moderate condition, while another person is in mild condition. No additional information was provided as to the identity of the deceased.
According to Kiper, Russia used ballistic missiles to strike targets at the port's infrastructure. No details were immediately available on the condition of the vessel or what the ship was carrying.
Following the second attack, Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha denounced the Russian attacks as a "deliberate terrorist tactic."
"By attacking civilian vessels, Russia tries to weaken Ukraine’s economy and put millions around the world at risk of hunger," Sybiha wrote on social media, referring to targeted attack against vessels carrying wheat and agriculture products.
"We must join forces of all responsible states and organizations to stop the aggressor, ensure freedom of navigation in Black Sea and global food security."
Traveling along the route, Ukrainian ships are regularly at risk of being attacked by Russia. Since the beginning of the all-out war, mines have also been drifting along the trade route, which also poses a risk to maritime transport.
Kyiv was forced to set up a new export route in the Black Sea last year after Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea grain deal. Initially envisioned as a humanitarian corridor to allow the departure of ships stranded there since the start of the full-scale war, it has since grown into a full-blown trade route.
A Russian missile struck a cargo ship carrying Ukrainian wheat to Egypt through the Black Sea on Sept. 12. The vessel was sailing through Romania's exclusive economic zone at the time.
Dmytro Basmat is a senior news editor for The Kyiv Independent. He previously worked in Canadian politics as a communications lead and spokesperson for a national political party, and as a communications assistant for a Canadian Member of Parliament. Basmat has a Master's degree in Political Management from Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada, and a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Governance from Toronto Metropolitan University.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
