Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has reacted following Russian strikes that killed 16 in Ukraine. In a video message posted on X, Zelenskyy accused Putin delaying the ceasefire. He added that every Russian promise made towards peace is ending with missile and drone strikes.
In the latest Russian strikes, 16 people lost their lives while over 50 sustained injuries in the central Ukrainian city of Kryvyi Rih on Friday, Ukrainian officials said. Among the casualties in the Russian ballistic missile strike, there were six children in the Dnipropetrovsk region, the hometown of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. In a post on Telegram, Zelenskyy wrote, “A Russian missile on an ordinary city. Just on a street. In an area with residential buildings.” The missile strikes followed a drone attack on Ukraine late Thursday on Kharkiv, which is Ukraine’s second-largest city. The drone attack killed five civilians.
The Russian strikes have come in the backdrop of US and European leaders pressing to accept a ceasefire in the conflict. Zelenskyy has blamed the latest strikes on Russia’s unwillingness to end the war. In a post on X, he wrote, “Every Russian promise ends with missiles or drones, bombs or artillery. Diplomacy means nothing to them.”
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He emphasised that the strikes ‘cannot be accidental’, adding, “The Russians know exactly what they’re hitting. They know these are energy facilities that should be protected from attacks under what Russia itself promised to the American side.”
Zelenskyy stressed that ‘sufficient pressure’ is needed on Russia to make them “feel the consequences of every lie, every strike, every single day they take lives and prolong the war.” He accused Putin of rejecting the ceasefire as he added, “It is Moscow that has refused a ceasefire since March 11. It is they, in Russia, who want this war. And it’s obvious that Russia won’t be forced into peace just by talks or expectations.”
Notably, Russia has rejected a US proposal for a full and immediate 30-day ceasefire in the fighting, and the UK and French foreign ministers on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of dragging his feet in ceasefire talks to halt Russia’s all-out invasion of Ukraine.