Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Putin was “preparing to reject” a US-Ukraine backed proposal for interim peace.
Several were injured in Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight as Russian President Vladimir Putin said he had questions about a US-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine.
Kharkiv’s governor Oleh Syniehubov said there were multiple injuries, including children, when a Russian drone fell in an open area.
A total of 146 clashes between Ukrainian and Russian forces were recorded yesterday, according to the Ukrainian armed forces.
The fighting comes as Putin questioned a proposed Ukraine-US ceasefire deal that suggested an interim 30-day truce.
At a news conference Moscow, Putin said although the “idea” of the ceasefire was correct, there were certain “issues” that needed to be discussed with the US, before listing out a string of questions that seemingly put the deal in flux.
The Russian leader said that the US persuaded Ukraine to accept a ceasefire situation because of the ongoing situation on the battlefield — particularly in the western Russian region of Kursk, where Ukraine launched a surprise incursion last year.
Russian forces were “advancing almost” everywhere in Kursk, Putin declared, suggesting that part of the ceasefire negotiations should include discussions on what happened to Ukrainian troops in the region.
“Will all those (Ukrainian troops) who are there come out without a fight? Or will the Ukrainian leadership order them to lay down arms and surrender?” Putin said.
“How the situation along the frontline will be resolved remains unclear,” he added.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address that Putin’s hesitation meant he was “essentially preparing to reject the agreement” which called for a 30-day truce and pause in combat including in the Black Sea and across the frontline.
Putin “is afraid to tell President Trump directly that he wants to continue this war, that he wants to kill Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said. “That is why, in Moscow, they are surrounding the idea of a ceasefire with such preconditions that nothing will come of it — or at least, it will be delayed as long as possible.”
For his part, US President Donald Trump said there were “good signals” coming out of Russia and offered to speak with Putin.
Putin “put out a very promising statement, but it wasn’t complete,” Trump said, adding that he hoped Russia would agree and underscoring his wish to see an end to fighting.
On Thursday, US media noted that Trump listed further details on US negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, saying that both countries had discussed land that would be “kept and lost” and other elements of a “final agreement.”
He declined to say whether the US would have any leverage to push Russia into either a temporary or lasting deal, however Trump previously said he could do “very bad things financially” to Russia if an agreement was not reached.
On Thursday, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said that Russia was ready to discuss a deal, but that it saw little urgency in halting the fighting.
She reiterated that Moscow would not accept western peacekeeping troops in Ukraine — an idea that has been floated by France and the UK as a way to ensure peace in the event of a ceasefire.
Ukraine has said it would need a form of security guarantee to sign a lasting ceasefire deal.
Moscow has repeatedly said that its core demands to end its war on Ukraine include an end to military aid to Kyiv, the demilitarisation of Ukraine, and a commitment that Ukraine will not join the NATO military alliance.
Additional sources • AP
