A U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine was due to expire Monday with both sides accusing each other of breaching the 72-hour arrangement, as American and European officials considered how they might steer the warring countries into further talks.
Ukrainian authorities said Monday that Russian drones, bombs and artillery shelling struck civilian areas of the northeastern Kharkiv and southern Kherson regions, killing at least two people and wounding seven others, including a 14-year-old boy.
Russia’s Defense Ministry insisted the military has “strictly observed” the ceasefire and accused Ukraine of repeatedly violating the agreement.
Similar ceasefires announced since Russia invaded its neighbor more than four years ago also have failed to stop the fighting, and U.S.-led diplomatic efforts over the past year have come to nothing.
The Washington-based Institute for the Study of War said data from NASA observations indicated military activities decreased but did not stop after U.S. President Donald Trump announced Friday that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy had accepted his request for a ceasefire running Saturday through Monday.
The move was meant to mark Victory Day, the Russian celebration marking the defeat of Nazi Germany.
The ISW noted late Sunday that “ceasefires without explicit enforcement mechanisms, credible monitoring, and defined dispute resolution processes are unlikely to hold.”
Russia and Ukraine prepare to exchange prisoners of war
Trump had said there would also be an exchange of prisoners, declaring that the break in fighting could be the “beginning of the end” of the war. Zelenskyy said the exchange of 1,000 prisoners from each side is being prepared.
There are no signs that the two sides are ready to budge from their key negotiating positions, however.
Source: WPLG
