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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin effectively rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal for a full ceasefire by launching a massive drone attack on Ukrainian cities.
Zelenskyy wrote about this on Telegram.
According to him, on the night of Wednesday, March 19, Russian drones attacked civilian infrastructure, including a Shahed drone strike on a hospital in Sumy.
“These nighttime attacks by Russia are destroying our energy sector, our infrastructure, and normal life for Ukrainians… Today, Putin has effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire. It would be right for the world, in response, to reject any of Putin’s attempts to prolong the war,” the Ukrainian president emphasized.
He stated that this attack underscores the need to continue pressuring Russia in the name of peace.
Zelenskyy specifically called for the introduction of new sanctions against Russia and increased assistance to Ukraine.
“Only a real cessation of Russian strikes on civilian infrastructure, as evidence of a genuine desire to end this war, can bring peace closer,” he concluded.
Earlier, during their conversation, Vladimir Putin once again rejected the U.S. proposal for a 30-day full ceasefire, which Ukraine had previously agreed to. Instead, he supported a mutual 30-day commitment to “refrain” from attacking energy infrastructure.
Both sides also agreed to discuss “the security of shipping in the Black Sea” and to create Russian and American expert groups to work on the “Ukrainian settlement.”
The White House, following the conversation, stated that peace negotiations on the Russia-Ukraine war should “begin immediately in the Middle East.”
Read also: Trump’s Special Envoy Announces New Round of Peace Talks in Jeddah on March 23
