President Volodymyr Zelenskyy criticised Russia for answering his offer of an Easter ceasefire with airstrikes on Wednesday but he praised as "positive" fresh talks with U.S. mediators aimed at resolving the four-year conflict.
Zelenskyy held talks remotely on Wednesday with U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner - President Donald Trump's son-in-law - and U.S. Senator Lindsey Graham as part of ongoing U.S. efforts to negotiate an end to Europe's bloodiest conflict since World War Two.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte also joined the call, amid ongoing tensions between Washington and some of its partners in the military alliance.
In his nightly video address after the call, Zelenskyy thanked America for its efforts to bring peace and said the Ukrainian and U.S. teams had agreed to strengthen a document outlining U.S. security guarantees for any future peace deal.
"This is precisely what could pave the way for a reliable end to the war," Zelenskyy said.
In recent weeks, Zelenskyy has said the U.S. was pressuring Ukraine to make concessions to bring a quick end to the conflict, which has fallen well below Iran in Washington's priorities since the U.S. and Israel launched attacks on Tehran in late February.
Talks with Russia are deadlocked over the vital question of land, with Ukraine refusing to cede to Russian demands that it relinquish the remaining parts of the eastern, industrialised region of Donbas that Russia has been unable to conquer.
Zelenskyy said he spoke to U.S. negotiators about his offer of an Easter ceasefire to the Russian side. Easter, according to the Orthodox Christian calendar, the dominant faith in Ukraine and Russia, falls on 12 April this year.
Russia's foreign ministry on Wednesday publicly rejected the proposal as a "PR stunt." Zelenskyy said Russian forces fired more than 700 drones, many of them Iranian-designed "Shaheds," on Wednesday, when parts of western and central Ukraine were targeted in a rare daytime attack.
"Russia is responding with 'Shahed drones' and continues its terrorist operations against our energy sector, against our infrastructure," Zelenskyy said, adding he had discussed with U.S. negotiators ways of advancing diplomacy.
"Other signals are needed, and a silence over Easter could be exactly the signal that tells everyone that diplomacy can be successful," he added.
Zelenskyy said in an earlier Telegram post that he had also spoken with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday and briefed him on his ceasefire proposal as well as the status of the battlefield, where the Ukrainian military says it is holding back an intensified spring offensive by Russian forces.
"I informed Keir about the situation on the frontline: our positions are now much stronger," Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine has recently stepped up strikes on Russian oil infrastructure. Roughly 40% of Russia's oil export capacity has been halted, according to a Reuters calculation last week.
Zelenskyy has said that Ukraine was ready to suspend such strikes if Russia agrees to stop attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure.
On Wednesday, the Kremlin reiterated that Ukraine should have withdrawn troops "yesterday" from the remainder of Donbas.
Ukraine sees ceasing hostilities at current front lines as a compromise and rejects Russia's demands to pull back from the land it still controls in the Donetsk region, part of Donbas.
Zelenskyy has repeatedly called for a summit with Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying the territorial issue could only be discussed at the leaders' level.
Following tense exchanges in recent days between U.S. and European officials, Finnish President Alexander Stubb said on X on Wednesday that he spoke with Trump - "Constructive discussion and exchange of ideas on NATO, Ukraine and Iran".
The U.S. military began a blockade of Iran's ports on Monday, President Donald Trump said, and Tehran threaten...
A now-deleted artificial intelligence (AI) generated image by the U.S. President has sparked immense backlash across the political divide. It ...
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are th...
Authorities in China have launched an investigation into a wave of online bullying targeting Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan, as concerns gro...
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has refused to join a U.S.-led blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, distancing Britain from military escalation after f...
A now-deleted artificial intelligence (AI) generated image by the U.S. President has sparked immense backlash across the political divide. It comes as Trump and the Pope continue their fued over the U.S. led war in the Middle East.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 14th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Authorities in China have launched an investigation into a wave of online bullying targeting Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan, as concerns grow over the impact of toxic fan behaviour on young public figures.
Iran's ports were blocked by the U.S. military on Monday (13 April), President Donald Trump confirmed. Tehran has threatened to retaliate against its Gulf neighbours' ports and a U.S. official said there was continued engagement with Iran, and forward motion on trying to get to an agreement.
Israel has reprimanded Spain’s most senior diplomat in Tel Aviv after a giant effigy of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was blown up in a Spanish town.
U.S. President Donald Trump warned that any Iranian ships approaching ports in the Strait of Hormuz would be "immediately eliminated" on Monday, as the U.S. started its blockade.
Nine suspects were arrested on Saturday (11 April) in connection with a terror attack targeting a police post in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district.
Millions of Orthodox Christians across the globe celebrated Easter, known as Holy Pascha, on Sunday (12 April) with midnight liturgies, candlelight processions and deeply rooted local traditions reflecting centuries of faith.
Russia and Ukraine accused each other of violating a 32-hour ceasefire introduced to mark Orthodox Easter on Saturday (11 April). Russian officials said Ukrainian drones attacked targets in the Kursk and Belgorod border regions, injuring five people.
A now-deleted artificial intelligence (AI) generated image by the U.S. President has sparked immense backlash across the political divide. It comes as Trump and the Pope continue their fued over the U.S. led war in the Middle East.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 14th of April, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Authorities in China have launched an investigation into a wave of online bullying targeting Olympic diving champion Quan Hongchan, as concerns grow over the impact of toxic fan behaviour on young public figures.
A U.S. federal judge has dismissed Donald Trump’s defamation lawsuit against The Wall Street Journal, marking a setback in his ongoing legal battles with major media organisations he accuses of publishing misleading coverage.
Hungary’s election winner Péter Magyar has said he does not support Ukraine’s fast-track entry to the European Union and will uphold an opt-out allowing Hungary to avoid contributing to a €90 billion EU loan for Kyiv.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment