KYIV: Ukraine on Wednesday (Mar 19) accused Russia of effectively rejecting a United States-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure hours after Moscow agreed only to pause attacks on the energy grid.
Washington has been pushing for a full, 30-day ceasefire as a first step towards a wider settlement of the grinding three-year-old war.
But in a 90-minute call with Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin refused, insisting that any such deal would be contingent on the West halting all military aid for Ukraine.
According to the Kremlin, Putin has already ordered his military to pause strikes against Ukrainian energy targets for 30 days.
The highly anticipated Putin-Trump call also resulted in the announcement that Russia and Ukraine will exchange 175 prisoners each on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy welcomed the proposed energy truce but said he needed more “details” from Washington.
US envoy Steve Witkoff said ceasefire talks would pick up again on Sunday in Jeddah, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Advisor Mike Waltz leading the American delegation.
Moscow has launched devastating attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure throughout the war, while Ukraine has used drones to bomb multiple Russian oil installations.
Explosions rang out and air raid sirens wailed in Ukraine just hours after Trump and Putin spoke.
Zelenskyy said “there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure”, including a hospital in Sumy.
“It is these types of nighttime attacks by Russia that destroy our energy sector, our infrastructure, and the normal life of Ukrainians,” Zelenskyy said.
“Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.”
Across the border, Russian emergency service officials said debris from a repelled Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at an oil depot in the village of Kavkazskaya
Source: CNA
