"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.
Ukrainian media outlet ZN.UA reported on May 10 that their law enforcement sources confirmed an ongoing probe by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau into suspected embezzlement, money laundering and bribery.
Photo for illustrative purposes. Ukrainian military drone operators of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade assemble a drone on their position in Sumy Oblast, Ukraine, on Aug. 11, 2024, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Roman Pilipey/AFP via Getty Images)
Ukrainian drones hit the Andreapol oil pumping station and missile arsenal in Russia's Tver Oblast overnight on Jan. 29, a source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) told the Kyiv Independent.
Drones operated by the SBU and the Special Operations Forces attacked the oil pumping station, which is part of the Baltic Pipeline System-2 operated by Russian state-owned oil pipeline company Transneft.
According to the source, the filtration pumping area and additive tanks at the station were damaged. The station is located around 750 kilometers (466 miles) north of Ukrainian border.
A spill of oil products and a fire were reported at the station.
"The Russians even had to shut down the main pipeline that supplies oil to the Ust-Luga terminal in Leningrad Oblast," the source said.
Ukrainian drones also hit the 23rd missile arsenal of the Russian Defense Ministry in Tver Oblast. The depot and three buildings of the military unit came under the attack, the source claimed.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify these reports.
Earlier in the day, an intelligence source told the Kyiv Independent that multiple Ukrainian drones struck a Lukoil oil refinery in the Russian oblast of Nizhny Novgorod.
Kyiv considers oil refineries to be valid military targets, as profits from the fossil fuel industry fund Russia's war machine.
Earlier this week, the Ryazan Oil Refinery in Russia suspended operations due to damage from Ukrainian drone attacks, Reuters reported, citing two industry sources.
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.
Tim Zadorozhnyy
