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."
Russia attacked a residential building with a guided aerial bomb in the city of Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Oct. 3, 2024. (Oleh Syniehubov/Telegram)
Russian attacks against Ukraine have killed two people and injured 41 over the past day, regional authorities said on Oct. 3.
Ukraine’s Air Force reported that Russia launched 105 Shahed-type drones across Ukraine overnight. Seventy-eight were shot down across 15 oblasts, while 23 were lost to electronic warfare, and one flew toward Belarus, the statement said.
Russia attacked Kharkiv with a KAB guided bomb overnight, hitting a residential building and injuring at least 12 people, including a child, local authorities reported.
Six women and two men also suffered injuries after Russian forces attacked a number of other settlements in Kharkiv Oblast, Governor Oleh Syniehubov said.
Russia attacked the town of Nikopol in Dnipropetrovsk Oblastwith kamikaze drones and artillery, injuring two men aged 69 and 89, according to Governor Serhii Lysak.
Eleven people were injured in the towns of Sloviansk, Kramatorsk, Krasnohorivka, and Hirnyk as well as in the villages of Andriivka, Ulakly, and Pishchanka in Donetsk Oblast, Governor Vadym Filashkin said.
In Kherson Oblast, Russian forces targeted 24 settlements, including the regional center of Kherson. Two people were killed and eight were injured, Governor Oleksandr Prokudin reported.
Kateryna Denisova works as a News Editor at the Kyiv Independent. She previously worked as a news editor at the NV media outlet for four years, covering mainly Ukrainian and international politics. Kateryna holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Taras Shevchenko University of Kyiv. She also was a fellow at journalism schools in the Czech Republic and Germany.
Kateryna Hodunova
