[🇺🇦] Monitoring Russian and Ukraine War.

[Saif]

Zelensky calls for ‘unconditional ceasefire’ after Russian attack kills nine

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on Wednesday for an ‘immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire’, hours after a Russian drone strike on a bus killed nine and as his top aide met Kyiv’s allies in London...

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Zelensky calls for ‘unconditional ceasefire’ after Russian attack kills nine
Agence France-Presse . Kyiv, Ukraine 24 April, 2025, 00:28

Volodymyr Zelensky | AFP file photo

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky called on Wednesday for an ‘immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire’, hours after a Russian drone strike on a bus killed nine and as his top aide met Kyiv’s allies in London.

Images published by Dnipropetrovsk governor Sergiy Lysak showed a bus with a hole punctured through its ceiling and what appeared to be blood and shattered glass scattered across its floors.

Zelensky called it an ‘egregiously brutal attack and an absolutely deliberate war crime’.

‘In Ukraine, we insist on an immediate, full, and unconditional ceasefire,’ he said on social media, adding that ‘stopping the killings is the number one task’.

Lysak said nine people had been killed and 49 wounded in the attack on the southern town of Marganets.

Zelensky also repeated his call for a partial halt on some missile and drone attacks.

‘We are also ready for an immediate ceasefire at least for civilian targets,’ he said.

Russian president Vladimir Putin announced a surprise Easter truce over the weekend.

It saw fighting dip and air attacks practically halt for 30 hours.

But Ukraine and its allies dismissed it as a PR exercise from the Kremlin leader, saying Putin had no interest in real peace talks.

Russia launched more than 100 drones at Ukraine between Tuesday evening and early Wednesday, the Ukrainian air force said.

Ukrainian authorities also reported fires in several regions overnight after Russian attacks.

Strikes were reported in the regions of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava and Odesa.

In Russia, one person was reported wounded by Ukrainian shelling in the Belgorod region, the local governor said.

Zelensky’s chief of staff, defence and foreign ministers were in London Wednesday for talks with Kyiv’s allies — downgraded at the last minute after US secretary of state Marco Rubio cancelled plans to attend.

Meanwhile, envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in Britain on Wednesday amid a new US push to end Russia’s war in Ukraine, but a planned meeting of foreign ministers was postponed.

The London meeting comes as US media reported that president Donald Trump is ready to accept recognition of annexed land in Crimea as Russian territory.

The reports said the proposal was first raised at a similar meeting with European nations in Paris last week. Trump has since threatened to ‘take a pass’ on efforts to end the conflict unless progress is made quickly.

US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is to visit Moscow this week, the White House has confirmed, in what would be his fourth trip to Russia since Trump took office.

According to The Financial Times, president Vladimir Putin told Witkoff he was prepared to halt the invasion and freeze the current front-line if Russia’s sovereignty over the Crimean Peninsula, annexed in 2014, was recognised.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded by saying that ‘a lot of fakes are being published at the moment’, according to the RIA Novosti state news agency.

Secretary of state Marco Rubio said he had presented a US plan to end the war but no details were given. Rubio also discussed the plan with his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, during a telephone conversation after the Paris meeting.

Rubio and Trump have warned since the Paris talks that the United States could walk away from peace talks unless it saw quick progress.

Trump ‘wants to see this war end and he has grown frustrated with both sides of this war, and he’s made that very known’, his spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

Rubio had said in Paris last week he would go to London if he thought his attendance could be useful.​

 

[Saif]

Trump on Russia strikes on Kyiv: 'Vladimir, STOP!'

President Donald Trump turned his criticism on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday after Russia pounded Kyiv with missiles and drones overnight, saying "Vladimir, STOP!" "I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing," Trump wrote in a social media po

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Trump on Russia strikes on Kyiv: 'Vladimir, STOP!'
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 24, 2025 20:13
Updated :
Apr 24, 2025 20:15

Police officers inspect the site of a building hit by a Russian ballistic missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 24, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

President Donald Trump turned his criticism on Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday after Russia pounded Kyiv with missiles and drones overnight, saying "Vladimir, STOP!"

"I am not happy with the Russian strikes on KYIV. Not necessary, and very bad timing," Trump wrote in a social media post a day after saying Ukraine's leader was hampering peace talks on ending Russia's war in Ukraine.

The Kremlin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

When asked about the Russian strikes on Kyiv at a briefing earlier on Thursday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia was continuing to hit "military and military-adjacent targets."

Trump's rare rebuke of Putin followed his criticism of Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday for saying Ukraine would not recognize Russia's occupation of Crimea - a longtime Kyiv stance.

"This statement is very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia," Trump said in a social media post.

Trump, who argued with Zelenskiy in a disastrous Oval Office meeting in March, said Crimea was lost years ago "and is not even a point of discussion."​

 

[Saif]

Trump's envoy Witkoff meets Putin in Moscow

US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday at what Trump has said is a key moment in diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine. Witkoff has emerged as Washington's key interlocutor with Putin as Trump pushes for a deal to end the war, and has already

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump's envoy Witkoff meets Putin in Moscow
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 25, 2025 19:19
Updated :
Apr 25, 2025 19:19

Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomes US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, April 25, 2025. Photo : Sputnik/Kristina Kormilitsyna/Pool via REUTERS

US President Donald Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday at what Trump has said is a key moment in diplomacy to end the war in Ukraine.

Witkoff has emerged as Washington's key interlocutor with Putin as Trump pushes for a deal to end the war, and has already held three long meetings with the Kremlin leader.

Video published by the Kremlin showed Witkoff and Putin shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries before sitting down on opposite sides of a white oval table.

Putin was accompanied by his foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov and investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev.

Witkoff's latest visit to Moscow comes a day after Trump criticised a Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv that killed at least 12 people, and posted on social media: "Vladimir, STOP!"

But Trump also said there had been significant progress in peace talks.

"This next few days is going to be very important. Meetings are taking place right now," Trump told reporters on Thursday. "I think we're going to make a deal ... I think we're getting very close."

Russian news outlet Izvestia earlier published photographs showing Witkoff strolling in central Moscow with Dmitriev, who has played a prominent role in contacts with the Trump administration.​

 

[Saif]

Trump and Zelensky hold first of two meetings in Rome

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump have met inside St Peter's Basilica ahead of Pope Francis' funeral. The White House described the 15-minute meeting as "very productive" and a Ukrainian spokesman said the pair will meet for a second time later on Saturday. Trum

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Trump and Zelensky hold first of two meetings in Rome
BBC
Published :
Apr 26, 2025 17:18
Updated :
Apr 26, 2025 17:18

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump have met inside St Peter's Basilica ahead of Pope Francis' funeral.

The White House described the 15-minute meeting as "very productive" and a Ukrainian spokesman said the pair will meet for a second time later on Saturday.

Trump and Zelensky are attending the service in Vatican City alongside other heads of state and royals including Prince William, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Their meeting comes one day after Trump said Russia and Ukraine were "very close to a deal", following talks between his envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Friday.

The meeting was the fourth such visit Witkoff had made to Russia since the start of the year, with the three-hour talks later described as "very useful" by Putin aide Yuri Ushakov.

Ushakov also added that it had brought the "Russian and US positions closer together, not just on Ukraine but also on a range of other international issues" of which the "possibility of resuming direct talks between Russian and Ukrainian representatives was in particular discussed".

Steven Cheung, White House communications director, said more details about the Vatican City private meeting between Trump and Zelensky would follow.

Images were later released by a Ukrainian official - Zelensky's head of office Andriy Yermak - of the two leaders sat on chairs inside the basilica.

A separate photo also showed Trump and Zelensky stood in conversation with Sir Keir and Macron inside the basilica.

Saturday's meetings are the first time the two leaders have met face-to-face since February after an unprecedented confrontation occurred in the Oval Office.

During the heated exchange Trump accused the Ukrainian president of "gambling with World War Three" by not going along with ceasefire plans led by Washington.

Kyiv has been on the receiving end of growing pressure from Trump to accept territorial concessions as part of an agreement with Moscow to end the war.

These concessions would reportedly include giving up large portions of land, including the Crimean peninsula which was illegally annexed by Russia in 2014.

Zelensky has repeatedly rejected the idea in the past. He suggested to the BBC on Friday that "a full and unconditional ceasefire opens up the possibility to discuss everything".

During the funeral the pair were not sat near one another due to the seating arrangements being organised in French alphabetical order.​

 

[Saif]

Trump doubts Putin’s intentions to end war

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly in the hush of St Peter’s basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday in their first encounter since a noisy White House clash and the US president later cast doubt on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal...

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Trump doubts Putin’s intentions to end war
Agence France-Presse . Washington, United States 26 April, 2025, 23:24

Donald Trump | AFP file photo

Donald Trump and Volodymyr Zelensky met briefly in the hush of St Peter’s basilica before Pope Francis’s funeral on Saturday in their first encounter since a noisy White House clash and the US president later cast doubt on whether Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal.

Zelensky said they discussed a possible unconditional ceasefire with Russia and was ‘hoping for results’ from a ‘very symbolic meeting that has the potential to become historic’.

After leaving Rome, Trump indicated a new approach to the Russian president.

‘There was no reason for Putin to be shooting missiles into civilian areas, cities and towns, over the last few days,’ Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.

‘It makes me think that maybe he doesn’t want to stop the war, he’s just tapping me along, and has to be dealt with differently, through ‘Banking’ or ‘Secondary Sanctions?’ Too many people are dying!!!’

Trump and Zelensky sat face-to-face, leaning forward in deep discussion in a corner of the basilica, as the pope’s wooden coffin lay in front of the altar before the funeral began, according to images released by the Ukrainian presidency.

The US president flew out of Rome immediately after the funeral mass and there were no further talks. But the two leaders also briefly huddled inside the basilica with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron.

Macron’s office described the exchanges as ‘positive’ and he later met Zelensky one-on-one.

In St Peter’s Square, Trump rubbed shoulders with dozens of world leaders, many keen to raise the tariffs he has unleashed. Both sides had kept the prospects of a meeting vague ahead of the funeral with Trump saying only it was ‘possible’.

Putin on Friday discussed the ‘possibility’ of direct talks with Ukraine in a meeting with Witkoff, according to a Kremlin aide.

He told Witkoff that Russia is ready to resume talks with Ukraine ‘without preconditions’, the Kremlin added Saturday.​

 

[Saif]

Russia says signal for start of direct peace talks should come from Ukraine

Russia said on Monday it was waiting for a signal from Ukraine to say it was willing to hold direct negotiations to end their war, but had not seen any signs of movement. The Kremlin said last Friday that the possibility of direct talks had been raised during a three-hour meeting between President

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Russia says signal for start of direct peace talks should come from Ukraine
REUTERS
Published :
Apr 28, 2025 17:20
Updated :
Apr 28, 2025 17:20

Police officers inspect the site of a building hit by a Russian ballistic missile strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine April 24, 2025. Photo : REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko

Russia said on Monday it was waiting for a signal from Ukraine to say it was willing to hold direct negotiations to end their war, but had not seen any signs of movement.

The Kremlin said last Friday that the possibility of direct talks had been raised during a three-hour meeting between President Vladimir Putin and US envoy Steve Witkoff.

Moscow and Kyiv have not held direct negotiations since March 2022, soon after the start of Russia's full-scale war in Ukraine. Later that year, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy adopted a decree that ruled out negotiations with Putin, after Russia claimed four regions of Ukraine as its own.

Zelenskiy, who met US President Donald Trump on the sidelines of Pope Francis' funeral, has said Kyiv would be ready to hold talks with Moscow once a ceasefire deal has stopped the fighting.

Zelenskiy's chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, said on Monday that continuing Russian attacks contradicted the Kremlin's statements about wanting peace.

"Russia is not ceasing fire at the front and is attacking Ukraine with Shaheds right now," Yermak wrote on Telegram, referring to Iranian-made drones widely used by Russian forces.

"All the Russians' statements about peace without ceasing fire are just plain lies."

Asked by a reporter if the signal for direct talks should come from Ukraine or the United States, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "Well, from Kyiv, at least Kyiv should take some actions in this regard. They have a legal ban on this. But so far we don't see any action."

Meanwhile, Moscow would continue its "special military operation", he said.

Moscow and Kyiv are under pressure from the US to find a settlement to end the war, the deadliest in Europe since World War Two.

Ukraine accuses Russia of playing for time in order to try to seize more of its territory, and has urged greater international pressure to get Moscow to stop fighting.

Russia accuses Ukraine of being unwilling to make any concessions and of seeking a ceasefire only on its own terms.

Putin told Witkoff on Friday that Russia was ready for talks with Kyiv without preconditions, according to a Kremlin aide.

Trump said on Friday that the two sides were "very close to a deal". In recent days he has been more critical than usual of Moscow, saying there was no reason for it to fire missiles into civilian areas and voicing concern that Putin was "just tapping me along".​