Putin effectively rejects proposal for complete ceasefire - Zelenskyy
Volodymyr Zelenskyy, President of Ukraine (photo: Getty Images)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. Russia continues to attack Ukraine, which means that pressure on Russia must continue for the sake of peace, states Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
He noted that right now, in many regions of Ukraine, it is literally clear what Russia truly needs. In particular, there are about 40 Shahed drones in the sky above Ukraine, and air defense systems are operating.
"Unfortunately, there are hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure. A direct hit by a Shahed drone on a hospital in Sumy, strikes on cities in the Donetsk region, and strike drones are currently in the sky over Kyiv, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Chernihiv, Poltava, Kharkiv, Kirovohrad, Dnipropetrovsk, and Cherkasy," the message states.
Zelensky emphasized that such night attacks by Russia are destroying Ukraine's energy sector, infrastructure, and the normal life of Ukrainians. The fact that tonight's attack was no exception shows that pressure on Russia must continue in order to achieve peace.
"Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. It would be right for the world to reject any attempts by Putin to prolong the war," the president wrote.
The head of state pointed out that the pressure on Russia should include:
- sanctions against Russia;
- aid to Ukraine;
- strengthening allies in the free world and working towards security guarantees.
"And only a real cessation of Russia's strikes on civilian infrastructure, as evidence of a desire to end this war, can bring us closer to peace," Zelenskyy concluded.
What preceded this
On Tuesday, March 18, a phone call took place between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The key topic of the conversation was the war in Ukraine.
As a result of the talks, Putin agreed to a ceasefire in Ukraine. However, it was about a 30-day ceasefire and a halt to attacks on energy infrastructure. Moreover, the Kremlin claimed that Putin allegedly gave such an order to the military. However, in reality, Russian attacks did not stop and continue to this day.
