Ukraine war briefing: Zelenskyy calls Putin’s offer of brief ceasefire ‘manipulation’
www.theguardian.com
Tue, 29 Apr 2025 04:41:58 +0300
Ukraine president urges monthlong truce after Russia suggests threeday one to mark a world war two victory.
What we know on day 1,161Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for an immediate monthlong ceasefire after Vladimir Putin unilaterally announced a threeday truce for next month during a second world war anniversary.
The Ukrainian president said Now theres a new attempt at manipulation.
For some reason, everyone is supposed to wait for May 8 and only then have a ceasefire to ensure calm for Putin during the parade.
He added We value peoples lives and not parades.
We believe that the world believes that there is no reason to wait for May 8.
And the ceasefire should be not for a few days only to resume the killing afterward.
Ukrainian officials also pointed out that Russia announced a similar truce over the Easter period only to violate it.
The Russian president suggested the ceasefire in May to mark the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Soviet Union in the second world war, and said Kyiv should follow Moscows example.
If respected by both sides, it would mark the first full ceasefire since the start of Russias fullscale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.A series of blasts were heard in Kyiv in the early hours of Tuesday after Ukraines air force issued air raid alerts for the capital, a Reuters witness reported.
Ukraines military said air defence systems were trying to repel an air attack.Germanys incoming chancellor, Friedrich Merz, has promised to put staunch support of Ukraine at the heart of his government after announcing that a proKyiv foreign policy expert and former soldier will be the new foreign minister.
Merz said that Johann Wadephul, a conservative MP who has long advised Merz on foreign policy, would become the new foreign minister.
Wadephul has been a supporter of military backing for Ukraine and recently told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung FAZ newspaper the war in Ukraine is not about a few square kilometres in Ukraine but rather the fundamental question of whether we will allow a classic war of conquest in Europe.
Merz himself said Vladimir Putins invasion was nothing less than a battle against the entire political order of the European continent.
Boris Pistorius, a social democrat who is widely expected to continue in the role as defence minister, said Donald Trumps peace deal proposals were akin to a capitulation.US secretary of state Marco Rubio told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov the US is committed to working to end this senseless war, the state department said.
The United States is serious about facilitating an end to this senseless war, state department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a readout of Sundays call, which was already announced by Russia.
She said Rubio spoke to Lavrov about the next steps in RussiaUkraine peace talks and the need to end the war now.
The call took place before Putin on Monday offered a threeday truce.The Guardians Luke Harding has been reporting from frontline battles near Ukraines Oskil River.
Before the war, it was a place for recreation.
Visitors would grill kebabs on its sandy beaches or go kayaking past a ridge of low chalk hills and a small national park.
Now it is a zone of war, waged by drones, artillery and bombs.
The Russians are trying to expand a slender bridgehead on the rivers right bank, near Dvorichna, he writes.
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