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Ukraine says Russia has already violated its own ceasefire with strikes on Sumy
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The period of Russian president Vladimir Putin’s unilateral Victory Day ceasefire is now active, although Ukraine said Moscow had already violated it within minutes of it coming into effect.
The 72-hour Russian ceasefire, coinciding with celebrations of the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union‘s defeat of Nazi Germany, began at midnight Moscow time (9pm GMT).
Ukraine has made no promises to abide by the Kremlin’s ceasefire, saying it is a farce by Mr Putin to create the impression he wants to end the war.
Despite the start of the so-called truce, Russian aircraft launched guided bombs on Ukraine’s Sumy region twice in the early hours of Thursday, Ukraine’s air force said.
In Moscow a huge military parade is set to take place this Friday and a number of world leaders, including Chinese president Xi Jinping as “guest of honour”, have already arrived in the Russian capital.
It comes after Donald Trump’s envoy to Ukraine claimed Kyiv is prepared to accept a 30-kilometre demilitarised zone with Russia.
Russia has built a life-sized replica of the Reichstag building for its Victory Day re-enactment of the country’s capture by Soviet forces in the Second World War.
The life-sized replica has been built at an amusement park in Moscow for the re-enactment showing the moment the Soviet flag was hoisted above Germany’s parliament building in the final days of World War Two.
The replica features bullet holes, rubbles and historical military vehicles.
The play, entitled Victory! will take place twice a day in May, alongside Moscow’s annual victory parade.
France and Germany are in close contact regarding a 30-day ceasefire in Ukraine, French president Emmanuel Macron said on Wednesday, speaking alongside new German Chancellor Friedrich Merz at the Elysee palace.
“There is only one question that needs to be answered: is Russia ready for a ceasefire lasting at least 30 days in order to be able to build a solid and lasting ceasefire? Will the Russian president be, at last, true to his word, in particular the one given during talks with the US administration?” Mr Macron said.
“We will be there to accompany this 30-day ceasefire and build a lasting and solid peace. And we (France and Germany) are in close contact,” he added.
Germany’s newly sworn-in Chancellor Friedrich Merz is hopeful that a permanent ceasefire can be agreed soon for Ukraine, he said on Wednesday.
“I’m really hoping that there will be a chance beyond the weekend to come to a ceasefire and then also to peace negotiations that could lead to a corresponding agreement,” Merz told reporters in Paris.
But Mr Merz held back on confirming what security guarantees Germany would offer in the event of a peace deal.
Only once there is an agreement can Germany give details on security guarantees “because we simply don’t know the conditions yet”, he added.
Merz said he is planning to visit Ukraine in the coming weeks.
Russia is set to host nearly 30 world leaders this week in Moscow for its Victory Day celebrations, with bilateral talks expected either side of a grand military parade.
Chinese president Xi Jinping is “guest of honour” in the celebrations. Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will also be in attendance to mark his support for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Both have already arrived in Russia.
Representatives from North Korea and Russian-controlled Abkhazia and South Ossetia will also attend the ceremony in Russia.
The other leaders set to attend are from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Congo, Cuba, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Guinea Bissau, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, the Palestinian territories, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Vietnam, and Zimbabwe.
A Russian military aircraft launched guided bombs on the Sumy region for the third time during a Kremlin-sponsored ceasefire, Ukraine’s air force said early today.
There were no immediate reports of damage and casualties.
The British government is finally recognising the growing threat of a direct attack from its foreign enemies – and the country’s huge gaps in its defences when dealing with such threats. It has been steadily dawning over the last few years that war is no longer something that only happens to other people a long way away, and that will never directly affect British people at home.
Adversaries like Russia have spent years pouring resources into ways of striking targets at immensely long distances – not only missiles with ranges of thousands of kilometres but also covert and semi-deniable means of attack, such as cyberstrikes and recruiting proxies to carry out arson, sabotage and assassination.
Keir Giles writes:
Donald Trump’s pressure on Ukraine to give up territory to Russia amounts to “modern day appeasement,” Joe Biden said on Wednesday as Vladimir Putin welcomed China’s president and other leaders for his annual Victory Day military parade in Red Square.
The former US president told the BBC that his successor risked losing transatlantic confidence in the United States. “Europe’s leaders are asking: ‘Can I rely on the United States? Are they going to be there?’” he said.
Of special concern was the White House proposal to let Russia keep some Ukrainian territory in an effort to strike a peace deal.
“It is modern day appeasement,” Mr Biden said, referring to territorial concessions to Adolf Hitler by UK prime minister Neville Chamberlain that failed to prevent the Second World War.
Russia is asking for “too much” concessions in its ceasefire negotiations with Ukraine, US vice president JD Vance said but added that he was not that pessimistic about the chances for ending the conflict.
The Trump administration wants Russia and Ukraine to agree on some guidelines for talking to each other directly, Mr Vance said, adding that it would be necessary to end the war.
“I wouldn’t say that the Russians are uninterested in bringing this thing to a resolution,” Mr Vance said in an interview with the Munich security council president, Wolfgang Ischinger.
“What I would say is, right now, the Russians are asking for a certain set of requirements, a certain set of concessions in order to end the conflict. We think they’re asking for too much. OK?” he said.
Ukraine has made no promises to follow Russia’s 72-hour ceasefire, which came into effect at midnight Moscow time last night.
Volodymyr Zelensky instead said his country stood by its offer to observe a 30-day ceasefire in the war with Russia.
“We are not withdrawing this proposal, which could give diplomacy a chance,” Mr Zelensky said in his nightly video address.
Ukraine has called the Kremlin’s ceasefire a ruse by Russian president Vladimir Putin to create the impression he wants to end the war, which began when Russia invaded its neighbouring country in February 2022.
Mr Zelensky said Russia had given no response to the 30-day offer except for new strikes.
“This clearly and obviously demonstrates to everyone who the source of the war is,” the Ukrainian president added.
Mr Zelensky also appeared to acknowledge the numerous Ukrainian drone attacks that have been targeting Russian sites, including the city of Moscow, in recent days.
“It is absolutely fair that Russian skies, the skies of the aggressor, are also not calm today, in a mirror-like way,” the Ukrainian president said.
Ukraine launched successive drone attacks on Moscow this week, forcing the closure of all four airports serving the Russian capital.
Russian forces have reportedly violated the Kremlin’s unilateral ceasefire in Ukraine within just a few hours of the truce coming into effect.
Ukraine’s air force said the Russian aircraft had launched guided bombs on the Sumy region for the second time in two hours early today.
The air force said the strikes happened after midnight local time, when Russia’s three-day ceasefire took effect.
The Russian ceasefire has been called to coincide with the 80th anniversary of the Soviet Union’s defeat of Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
Ukraine has made no promises to honour the truce, which it calls a distraction from genuine peace efforts.
As part of the anniversary events, Russian president Vladimir Putin is hosting Chinese president Xi Jinping and other leaders in Moscow, and will attend a military parade on Moscow’s Red Square tomorrow.
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Ukraine-Russia war latest: Putin’s ‘ceasefire’ begins after world leaders arrive in Moscow for Victory Day – The Independent
