Putin Launches Massive Drone Assault on Ukraine Hours After Proposing Peace Talks

Russian President Vladimir Putin proposed resuming direct peace talks with Ukraine on May 15 in Istanbul, signaling a willingness to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict. However, just hours after making this proposal, Russian forces launched a large-scale drone attack on multiple Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, and Mykolaiv, targeting both civilian and military sites and ending a brief unilateral truce. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted many of the drones, but the attacks caused injuries and damage to homes and infrastructure. Western leaders had called for an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting May 12, with the United States leading monitoring efforts and threatening increased sanctions if Russia refused, a demand Putin rejected during a press conference. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky viewed Putin's proposal as a positive step but insisted that a complete and lasting ceasefire is essential before meaningful negotiations can proceed. Despite the attacks, Kremlin officials emphasized that the upcoming talks would consider the current situation on the ground as well as previous negotiations.