Zelensky Criticizes US Inaction Following Putin’s Rejection of Truce
Ukraine Calls for US Intervention
Kyiv: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed his disappointment on Sunday over the absence of a US response to Russia’s refusal to agree to a “full, unconditional ceasefire.” This call for action comes after Moscow’s latest aerial assault resulted in the deaths of two individuals. The Ukrainian leader highlighted the urgency of an American intervention as the situation continues to deteriorate with each passing day.
Intensified Russian Assaults
In a significant escalation, Russia launched a “massive” overnight missile and drone attack on Ukraine, injuring seven people in addition to the fatalities, according to Zelensky. He cautioned that Moscow is intensifying its aerial attacks, underscoring the need for increased international pressure on Russia. Despite Ukraine’s agreement to an unconditional truce proposed by the United States, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declined to comply.
“We are waiting for the United States to respond—so far there has been no response,” Zelensky lamented, emphasizing the critical role the US could play in mitigating the conflict.
Cross-Border Hostilities
On Sunday, Russia claimed to have captured a village in Ukraine’s Sumy region, marking a rare cross-border advance. This aggressive action was part of a broader Russian offensive that saw ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and drones deployed across Ukraine, as reported by Ukraine’s First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.
Zelensky warned that the frequency of Russian air attacks is on the rise, demonstrating that the current pressure on Russia is still inadequate. In Kyiv, explosions were audible overnight, with a dark plume of smoke seen rising from the city early Sunday morning, according to AFP journalists.
Casualties and Damage
“Preliminarily, one person was killed and three were wounded. Two of them were admitted to the hospital,” stated Tymur Tkachenko, head of the city’s military administration, on social media. City Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that “the body of a man killed in an enemy attack was discovered in the Darnytsia district, near the epicenter of the explosion. The man’s identity is being established.”
Infrastructure Hit
A missile strike partially destroyed a building housing state foreign-language broadcasters, as reported by the Russian-language Freedom television channel, which noted that its newsroom had been obliterated. Emergency services reported fires breaking out in non-residential buildings in Kyiv, causing damage to a multi-story business center, a furniture factory, and warehouses. In the nearby Kyiv region, a man suffered burns when an attack ignited a house fire.
Footage from the emergency services depicted smoke rising from charred debris, a gutted hangar, and a large multi-story administrative building with its roof torn off and windows shattered.
Widespread Attacks
Throughout the night, Russia launched 23 cruise and ballistic missiles and 109 drones at Ukraine, causing damage across six regions, according to the Ukrainian air force. The air force reported shooting down 13 of the missiles and 40 drones, while 54 others caused no damage.
In the southern Kherson region, a drone killed a 59-year-old man, while in the northeastern Kharkiv region near the Russian border, two were injured in an attack using guided aerial bombs, regional officials stated.
In the western Khmelnytsky region, authorities reported that air defenses destroyed a missile, but falling fragments damaged a house, injuring a woman.
Escalating Conflict
Over the past week, Russia has launched more than 1,460 guided aerial bombs, nearly 670 attack drones, and over 30 missiles of various types on Ukraine, Zelensky reported. In response, French President Emmanuel Macron echoed Zelensky’s calls for a stronger response to Russia, advocating for an immediate ceasefire and strong action if Russia continues to resist peace efforts.
“A ceasefire is needed as soon as possible. And strong action if Russia continues to try to buy time and refuse peace,” Macron stated on X in French and Ukrainian, condemning Moscow’s ongoing attacks on children and civilians.
Cross-Border Advances
Russia’s defense ministry announced that its troops had “liberated” the village of Basivka, near the border with Russia’s Kursk region, marking only the second claim of an advance into the region since 2022. Moscow previously claimed the capture of another village in the Sumy region in early March, but Ukraine has not confirmed these territorial gains, asserting that it is managing to neutralize small Russian assault groups attempting to cross the border.
The recent attacks follow a missile strike on the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rig, which killed 18 people, including nine children, on Friday evening. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Sunday condemned Russia’s “reckless disregard” for human life, criticizing the use of “an explosive weapon with wide area effects.”
International Diplomacy
Amid these developments, Russia claimed on Sunday that it had struck a central artillery base and enterprises involved in drone production, asserting that it had hit its targets. Additionally, it accused Ukraine of attacking its energy infrastructure, including a gas distribution facility in the Voronezh region.
US President Donald Trump is advocating for a partial ceasefire, but his administration has yet to broker an agreement acceptable to both sides. The United States is also seeking to improve relations with Russia, and Kremlin envoy Kirill Dmitriev suggested in a state television interview that the next US-Russian contacts could occur “already next week,” as reported by Russian news agencies. Dmitriev’s recent visit to Washington marked the highest-level Russian official visit since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine.