KYIV — Russia’s assault on Ukraine is showing no signs of slowing down, two days after the White House announced that the sides had agreed on a partial ceasefire.
The Russian military attacked the highly populated Ukrainian cities of Sumy, Dnipro, Kharkiv and Kherson with drones late Wednesday. More than a dozen Shahed kamikaze drones hit highly populated areas in Kharkiv in only one hour on Wednesday night, wounding eight people, including a 12-year-old girl, local Mayor Ihor Terekhov said in a statement.
In Dnipro, an industrial city in the east of Ukraine, drones caused several massive fires and wounded three people, according to local Governor Serhiy Lysak. He said enterprises, educational and cultural institutions, and more than a dozen high-rise buildings were damaged during the latest attack.
“Every day in Ukraine is marked by large-scale attacks with strike drones, mostly ‘Shaheds’ — it was Iran that taught Russia how to produce such drones. No country should have to go through this,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.
“And against this backdrop, speaking about easing pressure on Russia, lifting sanctions, and so on, is definitely inappropriate and unhelpful,” Zelenskyy added.
While Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional ceasefire under pressure from the United States, Russia has demanded that sanctions on its agri banks and shadow fleet be lifted. The Kremlin also wants to inspect Ukrainian vessels in the sea corridor Kyiv reestablished by striking Russia’s navy after Moscow exited the Black Sea Grain Initiative in 2023.
“After our meeting, the Russians detailed the number of conditions they want to see met to agree [to Black Sea ceasefire]. Some of those sanctions are not ours … We’re going to evaluate that … and then present to the president,” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“I think it is a good thing that we have both Ukrainians and the Russians talking about a ceasefire. The only way to make progress on those things is by engaging with both sides, understanding their demands and seeing what’s possible,” Rubio added.
But Kyiv is afraid Russia is merely dragging out the war by issuing demands that could not be fulfilled by Ukraine as, in effect, they would amount to concessions and eventually Kyiv’s capitulation to Moscow.
“The U.S. proposal for an unconditional ceasefire has been on the table for half a month now. Pressure on Russia is needed to save lives and to make diplomacy work faster and more effectively. Without pressure on Russia, there will be no result,” Zelenskyy said.
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