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."
Illustrative purposes only: Port of Odesa on June 23, 2024 in Odesa, Ukraine. (Nikoletta Stoyanova/Getty Images)
A Russian ballistic missile struck the Odesa port on the evening of March 1, damaging port infrastructure as well as a foreign civilian ship flying the flag of Panama, Odesa Oblast Governor Oleh Kiper reported.
Two port employees were injuredas a results of the attack. No information was available as to the extent of their injuries.
The Swiss-owned container ship MSC LEVANTE F sailed into the port earlier in the day, local Odesa publication Dumska reported.
No information was immediately available as to what the vessel was carrying, or the extent of the damage.
Foreign vessels have previously been damaged in Russian attacks on the port. In October 2024, multiple ships had been damaged in separate attacks on the Odesa port.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Nov. 23 at the International Conference on Food Security in Kyiv that Russia has damaged 321 port infrastructure facilities, as well as 20 foreign merchant vessels since July 2023.
Traveling along the Black Sea route, 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.
As a major grain producer, Ukraine exports about 6 million tons of grain per month through ports along the Black Sea.
Following an initial blockade at the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, Russia unilaterally terminated the Black Sea grain deal last year forcing Kyiv to set up a new export route in the Black Sea.
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.
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.
Dmytro Basmat
