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.
Iran is preparing to send Russia Fath-360 short-range ballistic missile launchers, Reuters reported on May 9, citing Western security and regional officials familiar with the matter.
Illustrative purposes. The U.S. Abrams tanks and the German Leopard used by the Polish army are seen at the training ground in Nowa Deba, Subcarpathian Voivodeship, Poland, on Sept. 21, 2022. (Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
U.S. military equipment sales to foreign governments jumped 29% in 2024, reaching a record $318.7 billion, according to the State Department. Countries ramped up purchases to restock supplies sent to Ukraine and prepare for potential large-scale conflicts.
The Biden administration's final-year figures reinforce expectations of strong performance for U.S. defense manufacturers like Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, and Northrop Grumman. Analysts predict their shares will rise in response to increasing global instability, according to Reuters.
During his campaign, now President Donald Trump called on U.S. allies to invest more in their defenses. He proposed raising NATO’s defense spending target to 5% of GDP, a significant increase from the current 2% goal—a level no NATO member, including the U.S., currently meets.
The demand for weaponry has surged due to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, putting pressure on defense contractors to keep up. Governments worldwide are submitting orders to bolster their military stocks, while the U.S. works to replenish its own supplies sent to Kyiv.
The State Department described arms sales and transfers as "important U.S. foreign policy tools with potential long-term implications for regional and global security."
Notable 2024 deals included $23 billion in F-16 jets and upgrades for Turkey, $18.8 billion in F-15 fighter jets for Israel, and $2.5 billion in M1A2 Abrams tanks for Romania.
Many of these orders contribute to the growing backlog for U.S. defense companies. Future quarters are expected to benefit from orders for hundreds of thousands of artillery rounds, Patriot missile interceptors, and armored vehicles.
Foreign governments procure U.S. arms through two primary channels: direct commercial sales negotiated with defense companies or foreign military sales coordinated via the U.S. government, often through Defense Department officials at embassies. Both methods require government approval.
Direct commercial sales reached $200.8 billion in fiscal 2024, up from $157.5 billion in 2023. Meanwhile, government-facilitated foreign military sales rose to $117.9 billion, compared to $80.9 billion the previous year.
Olena Goncharova is the Head of North America desk at The Kyiv Independent, where she has previously worked as a development manager and Canadian correspondent. She first joined the Kyiv Post, Ukraine's oldest English-language newspaper, as a staff writer in January 2012 and became the newspaper’s Canadian correspondent in June 2018. She is based in Edmonton, Alberta. Olena has a master’s degree in publishing and editing from the Institute of Journalism in Taras Shevchenko National University in Kyiv. Olena was a 2016 Alfred Friendly Press Partners fellow who worked for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for six months. The program is administered by the University of Missouri School of Journalism in Columbia.
The Kyiv Independent news desk
