Russia staged blistering strikes across Ukraine last night just hours after Kyiv signalled it was ready for a ceasefire following talks with the United States.
The massive missile and drone attacks cast doubt on Vladimir Putin‘s willingness to accept Donald Trump‘s demands for peace in the three year war.
Last night the US President said he would talk directly to Putin, telling reporters: ‘It takes two to tango. I hope he will agree.’
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that Kyiv’s agreement to a 30-day ceasefire, which came after significant pressure from Washington, meant that the ball was now in Moscow‘s court.
‘Now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no. If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here,’ Rubio said, adding that the peace plan would be put to the Kremlin this week.
Hardliners in Moscow have called for the Kremlin to reject the proposal.
Russian State Duma Deputy and former armed forces commander Viktor Sobolev said that Russia should not agree to the ‘unacceptable’ 30-day ceasefire, arguing that it would allow Ukraine to rearm and regroup.
Pro-war blogger Boris Rozhin also warned a temporary truce would ‘restore the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ and enable it to ‘receive new supplies of weapons and ammunition’.
TV presenter Olga Skabeeva, one of Russia’s leading propagandists, wrote on Telegram: ‘And what do we get in return?’
Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev, chairman of the upper house’s Foreign Affairs Committee, agreed.
‘Russia is advancing, and therefore it will be different with [us]. Any agreements will be on our terms, not the American ones.
‘And this is not boasting, but an understanding that real agreements are still being written there, at the front.’
Putin launches drone strikes on Kyiv hours after Trump asks him to ‘tango’ and agree to Ukraine ceasefire
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