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Ukraine says Russia has already violated its own ceasefire with strikes on Sumy
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Russian forces have breached Vladimir Putin’s unilateral ‘Victory Day’ ceasefire hundreds of times, Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said.
Mr Putin had called a unilateral 72-hour Victory Day ceasefire to mark the 80th anniversary of Russia’s “sacred” WW2 victory – but Kyiv accused it of breaching it within hours.
A total of 734 attacks were recorded across the eastern frontline from 12am – when the supposed ceasefire began – until 12pm on Thursday. The attacks prove the Russian ceasefire to be a farce, Mr Sybiha added.
One person has been killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region as Russia continues to attack the frontline, Ukraine’s military said – but no ballistic missiles or drones were recorded overnight.
The ceasefire came into place soon before Mr Putin welcomed his “dear friend” Chinese president Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Thursday morning, in a symbolic visit through which the Russian autocrat hopes to demonstrate the strength of support behind Moscow’s war in Ukraine.
But Volodymyr Zelensky hit out at Russia’s upcoming Victory Day commemorations, describing it as a “parade of bile and lies” in a passionate rant walking through the streets of Kyiv.
Ever since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine, the annual military parade to honour the defeat of Nazi Germany have been a shadow of former years.
The displays of state-of-the-art tanks and intercontinental ballistic missiles in Moscow’s Red Square have gone, with world leaders, even Moscow’s allies, have been wary of standing alongside Putin to watch the procession of military prowess.
The invasion has devastated Ukraine has cost Russia’s military thousands of tanks and hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
Before the all-out war in Ukraine, Victory Day, celebrated a day later than VE day, became not just a parade to honour the sacrifices of a previous generation, but also to burnish Putin’s image of post-Soviet Russia being restored to its former greatness.
Tom Watling reports:
With Europe’s relations with Russia distinctly icy, officials from Washington and Moscow have held discussions about the US helping to revive Russian gas sales to the continent, eight sources familiar with the talks have told Reuters.
Gazprom would consider selling gas to Europe if a new owner took control of the network to Europe, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told French magazine Le Point in April.
On the route crossing the Baltic Sea, Gazprom controls the two twin pipelines of Nord Stream 1 and 2 backed by European firms which hold stakes.
Moscow is ready to trade its gas and knows that some European countries still want to buy it, Peskov said.
Countries still buying include Hungary and Slovakia which receive gas through the TurkStream pipeline. Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Spain get LNG from Russia’s Novatek under long-term contracts.
Russia and Ukraine both reported attacks on their forces on the first day of a 72-hour ceasefire called by President Vladimir Putin.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha accused Russia of violating its own ceasefire 734 times between midnight and midday Thursday.
He branded the ceasefire a farce.
By Keir Giles, senior consulting fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme, Chatham House
China and Russia should solidify the foundations of their cooperation and “eliminate external interference”, said President Xi, whose country is engaged in a tariff war launched by Donald Trump.
Putin and Xi signed a “no limits” strategic partnership in February 2022, less than three weeks before Putin sent his army into Ukraine.
China, which is Russia’s biggest trading partner, has thrown Moscow an economic lifeline that has helped it navigate Western sanctions.
Putin said the two leaders would personally oversee all key elements in the relationship, aiming for a substantial boost to trade and investment by 2030.
Officials from Washington and Moscow have held discussions about the US helping to revive Russian gas sales to Europe, sources say.
Europe slashed its imports of Russian gas following Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
Sources close to the bilateral discussions said carving out a renewed role for Moscow in the European Union’s gas market could help cement a peace deal with Vladimir Putin.
Russia now supplies 19% of Europe’s demand, down from 40%.
US envoy Steve Witkoff and Putin’s investment envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, have held conversations about gas as part of Ukraine peace talks, two of the eight sources said.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told Russia’s Vladimir Putin their countries should be “friends of steel”, as they pledged to boost cooperation.
At talks in the Kremlin, the two leaders cast themselves as defenders of a new world order no longer dominated by the United States.
China and Russia should safeguard international fairness and justice and “be true friends of steel that have been through a hundred trials by fire”, Xi told Putin.
Ukraine’s parliament has unanimously approved a landmark minerals deal with the US.
The ratification is a key step in setting the deal in motion. It would allow Washington access to Ukraine’s largely untapped minerals, deepen strategic ties and create a joint investment fund with the US for the reconstruction of Ukraine.
Kyiv hopes to receive more weaponry sooner rather than later.
Parliament approved the agreement with 338 members voting in favour, Ukrainian politician Yaroslav Zheleznyak wrote on his Telegram account. No politician voted against it or abstained.
“This document is not merely a legal construct, it is the foundation of a new model of interaction with a key strategic partner,” Ukrainian economy minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on social media.
The Kremlin says Russian president Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping are convinced that the conflict in Ukraine can only be resolved by removing its “root causes”.
At talks in Moscow, Putin thanked Xi for joining celebrations to mark 80 years since the “sacred” victory over Adolf Hitler in World War Two.
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Ukraine war latest: Russia has violated own ceasefire hundreds of times, Kyiv says – The Independent
