Vladimir Putin yet to respond to ceasefire, orders missile attack on Kryvyi Rih
Vladimir Putin has yet to formally respond to Ukraine’s ceasefire proposal. Instead, he launched a blistering missile attack on Volodymyr Zelensky’s hometown.
Europe
Don't miss out on the headlines from Europe. Followed categories will be added to My News.
The Kremlin has pounded the hometown of Volodymyr Zelensky in the hours after Ukraine put a ceasefire proposal on the table.
The missile attack on Kryvyi Rih killed a 47-year-old woman and injured at least nine people.
Apartment buildings, stores and a school were damaged, Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Serhiy Lysak said.
In the wake of the US-proposed ceasefire, which was negotiated in Saudi Arabia, American President Donald Trump lifted his suspension military aid and intelligence sharing with Ukraine.
It comes after Mr Trump indicated he would invite Mr Zelensky back to the White House with the two leaders seeming to be on much better footing following an unfortunate sparring match.
Mr Trump said he expects to speak to Russian President Vladimir Putin later this week and he hopes Moscow will agree to the terms.
On the ceasefire deal, Mr Trump told reporters: “We just agreed to it a little while ago. Hopefully, President Putin can agree to it also and we can get this show on the road.”
Asked whether Mr Zelensky was invited back to the White House, Mr Trump said: “Sure, absolutely”.
Mr Trump added that he expected his next meeting with Mr Zelensky would go more smoothly, after their heated Oval Office confrontation last month descended into a shouting match and threatened to derail peace talks.
“I think it’s a big difference between the last visit you saw in the Oval Office, and this,” Mr Trump said.
“That’s a total ceasefire — Ukraine has agreed to it, and hopefully Russia will agree to it.”
“Ukraine welcomes this proposal, we consider it positive, we are ready to take such a step. The United States of America has to convince Russia to do this,” Mr Zelensky said of the proposed truce in his evening address.
“So we agree, and if the Russians agree, the ceasefire will work at that very moment,” he added.
Russia said it would not rule out contact with the US in the “next few days”.
“We do not rule out contacts with US representatives within the next few days,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told Russian state news agencies.
RUSSIA ATTACKS KYIV
Russia launched an air attack at Kyiv, hours after Ukraine agreed to a ceasefire deal.
Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said air defences were engaged in repelling the strikes, reports The Guardian.
Another media agency also reported strikes were carried out on Kharkiv.
US SAYS ‘BALL IS IN RUSSIA’S COURT
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz confirmed the ceasefire news after talks with Ukrainian counterparts in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
“The offer is to stop the shooting,” Mr Rubio told reporters when asked if it was a complete ceasefire or just a “sea and sky” deal that was said to have been proposed by the Ukrainians.
Mr Rubio said that the “ball is in Russia’s court” and that the US hopes Moscow will agree to the deal.
In the statement, the US and Ukraine acknowledged that the terms would be subject to Russia’s approval.
“Ukraine expressed readiness to accept the US proposal to enact an immediate, interim 30-day ceasefire, which can be extended by mutual agreement of the parties, and which is subject to acceptance and concurrent implementation by the Russian Federation,” a joint statement from the US and Ukraine governments said.
“The United States will communicate to Russia that Russian reciprocity is the key to achieving peace.
“The United States will immediately lift the pause on intelligence sharing and resume security assistance to Ukraine.”
The statement praised the bravery of the Ukrainian people and said now was the time “to begin a process toward lasting peace”.
The US will now put the peace proposal to the Kremlin.
“The American side understands our arguments, perceives our proposals, and I want to thank President Trump for the constructive conversation between our teams,” he said.
In an acknowledgment of the volatile White House exchange between Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky, Kyiv also thanked the US for its support.
“The Ukrainian delegation reiterated the Ukrainian people’s strong gratitude to President Trump, the US Congress, and the people of the United States for making possible meaningful progress toward peace,” the statement said.
The plan will also see Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky return to the negotiating table to discuss signing the minerals deal that was abandoned after their recent White House meeting.
Future negotiations will also include discussion about humanitarian relief efforts in the event of a successful ceasefire, including the exchange of prisoners of war and the release of civilian detainees.
WORLD LEADERS REACT
French President Emmanuel Macron of France joined fellow European leaders in welcoming the 30-day ceasefire plan.
“The ball is now clearly in Russia’s court,” Mr Macron wrote in a post on X.
“France and its partners remain committed to a solid and lasting peace, which is backed by robust security guarantees for Ukraine.”
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer congratulated Mr Trump and Mr Zelensky on a “remarkable breakthrough”.
“I warmly welcome the agreement … and congratulate President (Donald) Trump and President (Volodymyr) Zelensky for this remarkable breakthrough,” he said.
“This is an important moment for peace in Ukraine and we now all need to redouble our efforts to get to a lasting and secure peace as soon as possible.
“As both American and Ukrainian delegations have said, the ball is now in the Russian court. Russia must now agree to a ceasefire and an end to the fighting too.
“I will be convening leaders this Saturday to discuss next steps. We are ready to help bring an end to this war in a just and permanent way that allows Ukraine to enjoy its freedom.”
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni welcomed the outcome, her office said.
“Italy fully supports the efforts of the United States, under the leadership of President (Donald) Trump, to achieve a just peace that guarantees the long-term security of Ukraine. Now the decision is up to Russia,” the government said in a statement.
Donald Tusk, the Polish prime minister, said that Ukraine and the US “have taken an important step towards peace” in the talks in Saudi Arabia.
The EU’s top two officials hailed the agreement.
“This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The ball is now in Russia’s court,” European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen and European Council chief Antonio Costa wrote on X, after the talks in Saudi Arabia.
RUSSIA INTERCEPTS MASSIVE UKRAINE DRONE ATTACK
It comes as Ukrainian drones smashed into high-rise apartment blocks on the outskirts of Moscow in the early hours of Tuesday, with both sides saying it was the largest attack on the Russian capital of the three-year conflict.
The Kremlin condemned the attack, which comes just hours before top US and Ukrainian officials sat down for talks in Saudi Arabia and after three years of Russian aerial barrages on Ukrainian cities.
Kyiv said the attack should push Russian President Vladimir Putin to accept its call for a halt to long-range aerial strikes, a proposal Moscow has previously ruled out.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denounced Kyiv targeting “residential houses”, claiming its forces only hit military infrastructure, despite near daily attacks on Ukraine’s civilian areas and thousands of Ukrainian civilians killed by its offensive.
Mayor Sergei Sobyanin called the “most massive enemy drone attack on Moscow.”
At the site of one attack, AFP journalists saw holes on the upper floors of an apartment block and broken glass and debris strewn across the asphalt.
Russian aviation officials temporarily closed the four main airports serving Moscow amid the attack.
Two people were killed in the attacks, a 50-year-old man and a 38-year-old security guard, Moscow Region Governor Andrey Vorobyov said in a post on Telegram.
The health ministry said six people were in hospital, including a child and one person in an extremely serious condition, Russian state news agencies reported.
Russia’s investigative committee called it a “terrorist attack” and opened a criminal investigation.
In the Vladimir region, some 200 kilometres east of Moscow, a village of around 800 people was evacuated after two drones there were shot down, local authorities said.
Ukraine also called it the “largest drone attack in history” saying it “lasted all night and through the morning.”
More Coverage
Originally published as Vladimir Putin yet to respond to ceasefire, orders missile attack on Kryvyi Rih
Join the conversation
Soccer fan William lets rip on wild night out
An ecstatic Prince William was a rollercoaster of emotions as he cheered on his beloved soccer team during a surprise visit. See the photos.
Read more
‘Terrorists’: Putin’s defiant response to ceasefire plan
Vladimir Putin has responded to a proposed ceasefire plan for Ukraine after Donald Trump warned Moscow’s failure to accept the deal could have “devastating consequences” for Russia.
Read more