FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
A ceasefire with Ukraine may not come into effect "this year", according to a top Russian negotiator, despite Donald Trump's promises for a quick end to the fighting.
Grigory Karasin, who led the Russian delegation in ceasefire discussions with the US last week, acknowledged the limited results of the talks and said a ceasefire may not come "this year or at the end of this year."
"It would be naive to expect any significant results at the first meeting," Karasin, chairman of the Russian Federation Council's Committee on International Affairs and a former British ambassador, said on state television.
His comments came days after Ukraine and Russia agreed to a limited ceasefire in attacks against energy infrastructure and Black Sea operations - which both sides have already accused the other of violating.
It also followed Moscow's rejection of a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire, which had been supported by the US and Ukraine on March 11.
The US president has called for a quick end to the war in Ukraine, but has also acknowledged that Russia may be trying to delay it. "I think Russia wants to see an end to the war, but they may be dragging it out," Trump said last week in a rare sign of frustration with Vladimir Putin.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has accused Russia of prolonging the talks without any intention of stopping its offensive.
"For a long time, America's proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table without an adequate response from Russia," President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening speech on Saturday.
"There could already be a ceasefire if there was real pressure on Russia," he added, thanking those countries "that understand this" and have increased sanctions pressure on the Kremlin.
The Kremlin has said that the Black Sea agreements will not come into force unless links between some Russian banks and the international financial system are restored.
Putin has also called for a "transitional administration" as part of the peace process, reiterating his long-held desire to oust Zelensky and install a more Moscow-friendly government in Kiev.
On the battlefield this weekend, the Russian Defense Ministry claimed to have captured two Ukrainian villages: Shchebraki in the southern Zaporizhzhia region and Panteleimonivka in the eastern Donetsk region.
Ukraine also accused Russia of committing a "war crime" after attacking a military hospital in the city of Kharkiv.
Six attacks hit the northeastern border town overnight Saturday into Sunday, wounding personnel being treated at a military hospital and killing at least two people in a residential building, according to Ukrainian officials.
Oleh Syniehubov, the regional governor, said a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack in Ukraine's second-largest city. Officials also said 35 others were wounded.
The Ukrainian military said a military hospital building and nearby residential buildings were "damaged by a Shahed drone."
"According to preliminary reports, there are casualties among the military personnel being treated at the medical center," he added.
The military then accused Russia of committing a "war crime" and "violation of the norms of international humanitarian law."
In his nightly video address on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine expected a "serious response" from Western countries to the almost daily attacks.
"Our partners must understand that these Russian attacks are targeting not only our people, but also all international efforts, diplomatic efforts aimed at ending this war," he said.
According to the Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a new military offensive in the coming weeks to maximize pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
Lini një Përgjigje