Russia's War with Ukraine. Day 1173

US President Donald Trump's special envoy to the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, used Kremlin interpreters during meetings with Vladimir Putin, NBC News reported, citing a US official and two Western officials familiar with the talks.

Witkoff has met with Putin several times in recent months. His last visit was to Moscow on April 26, the day after a massive missile attack in Kiev that killed 12 people.

Witkoff — a real estate tycoon who doesn’t speak Russian — didn’t hire his own translator for the meetings, officials told NBC News. That decision violated standard protocols and left him dependent on Kremlin-provided translators. “If they’re speaking Russian, he doesn’t know what they’re talking about,” one Western official said.

"Think of the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved when this endless "carnage" finally ends. It will be a whole new and much better WORLD. I will continue to work with both sides to make that happen. The United States wants to focus on reconstruction and trade. We have an IMPORTANT week ahead!" the US president wrote.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his country's experts would help resume air links with Ukraine once a ceasefire is reached.

"It will take time, but it will be a significant moment in restoring economic links with Ukraine, boosting investor confidence and helping to reunite families torn apart by this war," the British prime minister said. "A safe and prosperous Ukraine is what we all want," he added.

The Ukrainian Air Force reported that air defense had been activated in Kyiv due to a drone attack. It appealed to residents of the capital to stay in shelters.

- There are fights now, a war, and we propose to resume negotiations that were interrupted not by us. What's wrong with that? - said Vladimir Putin on the night from Saturday to Sunday, announcing that Russia is ready for direct talks with Ukraine without preconditions.