"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.
Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk during a speech on June 6, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Andriy Zhyhaylo/Obozrevatel/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
Ukraine will start working to conclude an agreement with the U.S. for its natural resources on Feb. 24, Ruslan Stefanchuk, speaker of Ukraine's parliament, told Japanese media outlet NHK.
The U.S. is reportedly looking to obtain an interest in 50% of Ukraine's natural resources through a joint investment fund as payback for its support for Kyiv, according to a leaked version of the deal passed along to President Volodymyr Zelensky by U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
According to the NHK report published on Feb. 22, the Ukrainian government will assemble an expert team to begin working on finalizing the agreement on Monday, which also marks the third anniversary of the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Stefanchuk said Ukraine is ready to work with partners on the agreement but wants to "receive specific security guarantees," according to the report. He also said Ukraine seeks to have "constructive discussions" and a summit with the U.S.
Zelensky previously said Kyiv was not ready to sign the document as it did not include any security guarantees.
Earlier in the day, Bloomberg reported, citing its source with knowledge of the talks, that Ukraine and the U.S. need more time to finalize the agreement for Ukraine's natural resources.
According to Bloomberg, the draft agreement proposed by the U.S. President Donald Trump administration "currently has some questionable elements" for the Ukrainian side, without specifying them.
Sky News also reported, citing its source, that the agreement “is not yet ready to be signed” due to a number of "problematic issues," adding that Zelensky is not ready to accept the current form of the draft.
However, U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said on Feb. 21 that the deal “was going to be done” this week, according to Sky News.
"Here's the bottom line, President Zelensky is going to sign that deal, and you will see that in the very short term," he said during the Conservative Political Action Conference, as quoted by Sky News.
Trump said in early February that he wanted to strike a deal with Ukraine involving access to rare earth minerals in exchange for continued aid. Trump later claimed that Kyiv had "essentially agreed" to a $500 billion resource deal.
However, the latest reports come shortly after Trump accused the Ukrainian president of being "a dictator without elections," saying that "Zelensky better move fast or he won’t have a country left."
On Feb. 19, Trump also said he aims to "resurrect" talks on the agreement for Ukraine's natural resources.
"I think I’m gonna resurrect that deal, you know, we'll see what happens, but I’m gonna resurrect it, or things are gonna not make him (President Volodymyr Zelensky) too happy. And look, it’s time for elections," Trump said, without elaborating on the consequences for Ukraine and its president if the deal is not signed.
Francis Farrell
