Kyiv reported on Sunday that Moscow had launched over 100 drones into Ukraine overnight, just after a Russian ceasefire lasting 72 hours concluded at midnight.
Prior to this, Kyiv had not documented any drone strikes since Thursday, when the ceasefire initiated, though they did allege that Moscow had breached the truce numerous times.
Russia, on the other hand, accused Ukraine of violations as well.
“During the night of May 11 [beginning at 2:00 AM on May 11], the enemy deployed 108 Shahed attack drones along with various imitation drones,” stated Kyiv’s air force, noting that 60 of these drones were intercepted.
These assaults occurred as Russian President Vladimir Putin disregarded a European-proposed 30-day ceasefire, which had U.S. support, instead suggesting direct negotiations with Kyiv later in the month.
In the early morning of Sunday at the Kremlin, Putin proposed to hold talks with Kyiv in Istanbul on May 15.
“We do not rule out that during these discussions we might reach an agreement on a new ceasefire,” he mentioned in his address from the Kremlin.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky expressed on Sunday that he anticipates Moscow’s commitment to a 30-day ceasefire beginning Monday and assured that Kyiv is “prepared” for direct discussions with Russia.
“There is no reason to prolong the violence for even one more day. We expect Russia to affirm a ceasefire — comprehensive, enduring, and dependable — starting tomorrow, May 12, and Ukraine is willing to engage,” Zelensky conveyed on social media.
“It’s a hopeful indication that the Russians have finally started to contemplate an end to the war,” Zelensky noted. “The entire world has been waiting for this for a considerable time. The initial step towards genuinely concluding any conflict is establishing a ceasefire.”
On his return from Ukraine, where he participated in a European announcement regarding the 30-day ceasefire proposition, French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Putin’s proposal was “insufficient” and accused him of attempting to “buy time.”
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has now continued for over three years.
