KIEV - Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised Russia for not yet responding to a US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire. He said Moscow needs to force peace through strong and genuine international pressure. He also described Russian drone attacks as an obstacle to a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
"The US ceasefire proposal has been on the table for too long without any response from Russia. This speaks volumes. If real pressure had been put on Russia, a ceasefire could have been reached by now," Zelensky wrote on the X network. The United States held separate talks with Ukraine and Russia this week, resulting in agreements to stop attacks on energy infrastructure. But both sides accuse each other of violating them.
Zelensky said Russia launched 172 drones against Ukraine last night. "Such large-scale drone attacks have become an almost daily reality. These are not only strikes on civilian targets, but also sabotage of international efforts to find a peaceful solution," he warned. He called on the United States, European states and all those who support a diplomatic solution to the conflict to respond decisively. "Only force and pressure can work," he added.
The night attacks on the city of Dnipro have so far claimed at least four victims and injured 21
https://t.me/V_Zelenskiy_official/13713
After a meeting with the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces, Oleksandr Syrskyy, Zelensky said that the Ukrainian army was successfully preventing Russian troops from entering the Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
But he also reminded that Ukrainian troops almost completely withdrew from Russia's Kursk region this month, where Russia is now continuing its offensive. According to the Russian defence ministry, Russian troops have taken control of the village of Veselivka in Ukraine's Sumy region, which lies right on the border with the Kursk region.
Moscow's statement: the Russian attacks are a response to Ukrainian aggression
In response, the Russian Defense Ministry said its military operations were in response to Ukraine's ongoing attacks against Russian territory and infrastructure. According to Moscow, the targets are military and energy facilities that are allegedly used to prepare and carry out attacks against Russia. At the same time, the Kremlin has repeatedly accused the West of fomenting the conflict and called for a "realistic approach" from Kiev and its allies.
Moscow has not yet officially commented on the US proposal for an unconditional ceasefire, but according to some Russian media, it considers such demands unilateral and disadvantageous until Ukraine and its Western partners change their stance on the negotiations.
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