Kremlin says Russian moratorium on Ukrainian power assaults stays in place regardless of continued strikes
The Kremlin is claiming {that a} suspension on strikes towards Ukrainian power infrastructure, agreed within the Putin-Trump telephone name final Tuesday, stays in place.
Final week, Vladimir Putin agreed to Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30-day halt on attacks to energy infrastructure. The ceasefire, nevertheless, was solid into doubt quickly after, with each side reporting continued strikes.
“To date, there have been no different orders from the president,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned when requested if Russia meant to take care of its moratorium or not.
Talking to journalists at a day by day briefing, he added:
Our armed forces are following all directions of the supreme commander-in-chief, however in fact we’re monitoring the scenario very carefully.
Our American interlocutors are additionally in a position to monitor the scenario and draw the suitable conclusions.
Russia has been relentlessly focusing on Ukraine’s infrastructure because it launched its full scale invasion in February 2022, whereas in latest months Ukraine has been more and more in a position to hit targets deep inside Russia with long-range drones.
Kyiv, which accused Russia of flouting its moratorium nearly instantly, mentioned it might have to signal a proper doc to droop its personal assaults, one thing which has not occurred.
Key occasions
What are Russia’s circumstances for a long run settlement?
Pjotr Sauer
Pjotr Sauer is a Russian affairs reporter for the Guardian
Moscow has set out a number of maximalist circumstances for any long-term settlement – most of that are non-starters for Kyiv and its European allies.
These embrace a halt to all international navy help and intelligence sharing with Ukraine, restrictions on the scale of its armed forces, and worldwide recognition of the 4 Ukrainian areas Russia illegally annexed following staged referendums in 2022.
The Kremlin has additionally signalled it might reject any presence of western troops in Ukraine – one thing Kyiv views as important to securing lasting safety ensures.
Ukraine stays deeply sceptical of any Russian settlement, pointing to previous cases the place Moscow did not honour its commitments.
Beijing has dismissed experiences that China may ship peacekeepers to Ukraine to implement any future peace deal.
“Let me stress that the report is totally false. China’s place on the Ukraine disaster is obvious and constant,” China’s international ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun mentioned at a day by day briefing.
China has offered Russia with commerce earnings from oil and different pure assets, together with diplomatic backing, however has not given any weapons or despatched any personnel.
Beijing and Moscow proclaimed a “no limits” partnership simply days earlier than Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Beijing says it’s impartial within the battle and has repeatedly signalled a willingness to behave as a peacemaker within the warfare.
A minimum of 4 folks have been killed and 13 others injured in Russian assaults throughout Ukraine over the previous day, regional officers reported earlier right this moment.
Two folks have been killed within the Donetsk area (one in Pokrovsk and one within the village of Donetske) and two within the Sumy area, in keeping with native officers. We’ve got not but been in a position to independently confirm these experiences.
At his day by day briefing with journalists, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned it was Donald Trump who had proposed discussing the collapsed Black Sea deal on the talks and that Vladimir Putin had agreed for it to be a subject for dialogue.
“That is primarily in regards to the security of navigation,” Peskov mentioned, when requested what the Black Sea deal amounted to.
“However for those who bear in mind the initiative in its earlier kind, there was fairly a big a part of the obligations to our nation that weren’t fulfilled final time. Due to this fact, this can even be on the agenda right this moment.”
The UN and Turkey brokered the Black Sea deal in July 2022 that allowed Ukraine to soundly ship grain and different foodstuffs from three Black Sea ports. A separate memorandum between the UN and Russia pledged to beat obstacles to Moscow’s cargo of meals and fertiliser to world markets.
But Russia pulled out of the Black Sea grain initiative in July 2023. Vladimir Putin partly blamed the withdrawal on western sanctions that he mentioned restricted the sale of Russian agricultural merchandise overseas.
Kremlin says Russian moratorium on Ukrainian power assaults stays in place regardless of continued strikes
The Kremlin is claiming {that a} suspension on strikes towards Ukrainian power infrastructure, agreed within the Putin-Trump telephone name final Tuesday, stays in place.
Final week, Vladimir Putin agreed to Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30-day halt on attacks to energy infrastructure. The ceasefire, nevertheless, was solid into doubt quickly after, with each side reporting continued strikes.
“To date, there have been no different orders from the president,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov mentioned when requested if Russia meant to take care of its moratorium or not.
Talking to journalists at a day by day briefing, he added:
Our armed forces are following all directions of the supreme commander-in-chief, however in fact we’re monitoring the scenario very carefully.
Our American interlocutors are additionally in a position to monitor the scenario and draw the suitable conclusions.
Russia has been relentlessly focusing on Ukraine’s infrastructure because it launched its full scale invasion in February 2022, whereas in latest months Ukraine has been more and more in a position to hit targets deep inside Russia with long-range drones.
Kyiv, which accused Russia of flouting its moratorium nearly instantly, mentioned it might have to signal a proper doc to droop its personal assaults, one thing which has not occurred.
Kremlin says Russia and US have widespread understanding on want for settlement in Ukraine
We’ve got some info trickling in from what’s being mentioned within the talks between US and Russian officers on the Ritz-Carlton resort in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Reuters is reporting that the Kremlin mentioned that Moscow and Washington shared a standard understanding on the necessity to transfer in the direction of a settlement to finish the warfare in Ukraine, however that there are nonetheless many alternative features that have to be labored out.
A quick US brokered ceasefire in Ukraine is unlikely for a lot of causes. Vladimir Putin has mentioned any talks should handle what he frames as “the basis causes” of Moscow’s full-scale invasion in 2022, primarily his issues round an increasing Nato alliance. Ukraine has made membership of the alliance a key strategic purpose that it says would assist shield the nation within the occasion of future Russian aggression.
Putin additionally mentioned throughout his name with Donald Trump earlier this month that any long-term deal would require an ending of intelligence sharing and navy help to Kyiv from its allies. Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned after the decision that Ukraine’s allies would by no means comply with such a transfer, including that he hopes provides will proceed.
Ukraine’s Particular Operations Forces (SSO) say they’ve destroyed 4 Russian navy helicopters in Russian border area of Belgorod utilizing US-made Himars missiles with cluster munitions.
The SSO mentioned, in a publish on X, that two Ka-52 strike helicopters and two Mi-8 transport helicopters have been hid in a “hidden place” used for “fast redeployment or assaults towards Ukraine”.
The Belgorod area has usually been focused by Ukrainian forces because the begin of Russia’s full-scale invasion three years in the past/
Why does Russia need to restore the Black Sea Grain Initiative?
Moscow is curious about restoring a deal that allowed Ukraine to export grain from its ports with out being attacked, in keeping with experiences.
If the deal is revived, Russia would export farm produce and fertiliser by way of the Black Sea, getting reduction from sanctions imposed by western nations.
Russia pulled out of the Turkish-brokered Black Sea grain deal in July 2023, accusing the west of failing to uphold its commitments to ease sanctions on Russia’s personal exports of agricultural merchandise and fertilisers.
It meant Moscow stopped granting protected passage to cargo ships going to and from Ukraine, and the nation’s grain exports subsequently slumped. You possibly can learn extra in regards to the deal and its financial significance in this explainer.
Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned it shot down 57 out of 99 drones launched by Russia in a single day within the south, north, west and central areas of the nation. One other 36 imitator drones didn’t attain their targets, it added in a publish on Telegram.
The air pressure didn’t say what occurred to the remaining six drones, however mentioned the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, Kirovohrad and Zaporizhia areas have been affected by the Russian assault.
As we mentioned in an earlier post, US and Russian negotiators have sat down for talks in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on a partial ceasefire in Ukraine.
The assembly is predicted to be adopted by one other spherical of talks between US and Ukrainian groups (after officers from Washington and Kyiv met yesterday).
The separate conferences are set to debate particulars of a pause in long-range assaults towards power services and civilian infrastructure and a halt on assaults within the Black Sea to make sure protected business transport.
Russian President Vladimir Putin final week agreed to halt strikes on Ukraine power targets for 30 days, after a prolonged telephone name with US President Donald Trump.
However there may be ongoing confusion about what constitutes power infrastructure, with Kyiv pushing for railways and ports to be protected underneath the definition, which the Kremlin has framed narrowly.
Any deal in Riyadh comes after developments final week when Vladimir Putin agreed to Donald Trump’s proposal for a 30-day halt on attacks to energy infrastructure. The ceasefire, nevertheless, was solid into doubt quickly after, with each side reporting continued strikes.
Talks purpose for Black Sea deal
Within the talks, Washington has been eyeing a Black Sea ceasefire deal, a serious purpose of Russia, earlier than securing a wider settlement.
As Reuters experiences, the negotiations, which adopted US talks with Ukraine on Sunday, come as Donald Trump intensifies his drive to finish the three-year-old battle after he final week spoke to each Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin.
A supply briefed on the planning for the talks advised Reuters that the US aspect was being led by Andrew Peek, a senior director on the White Home Nationwide Safety Council, and Michael Anton, a senior State Division official.
The White Home says the purpose of the talks is to achieve a maritime ceasefire within the Black Sea, permitting the free circulation of transport.
Russia might be represented by Grigory Karasin, a former diplomat who’s now chair of the Federation Council’s Overseas Affairs Committee, and Sergei Beseda, an adviser to the director of the Federal Safety Service.
Talks start, says Russian information company
The Russian-US talks in Saudi Arabia have began, in keeping with Tass, the Russian state information company. You possibly can learn our curtain raiser on the negotiations, and the hole between expectations on the 2 sides, right here:
Opening abstract
Welcome to our dwell protection of the Russia-Ukraine war – right here’s a snapshot of the most recent.
Talks between the US and Russia are to be held in Saudi Arabia on Monday as Washington signalled its hope for “actual progress” on a ceasefire within the Ukraine warfare whereas Moscow warned that “tough negotiations” have been forward.
The start of the latest round of negotiations comes a day after Ukrainian and US delegations held “constructive and significant” talks within the kingdom with a deal with defending power services and significant infrastructure, Ukrainian defence minister Rustem Umerov mentioned.
US particular envoy Steve Witkoff expressed optimism in regards to the probabilities of ending the warfare, telling Fox Information on Sunday: “I believe that you simply’re going to see in Saudi Arabia on Monday some actual progress, notably because it impacts a Black Sea ceasefire on ships between each nations. And from that, you’ll naturally gravitate right into a full-on capturing ceasefire.”
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy mentioned his nation’s delegation to Sunday’s talks was working in “a very constructive method” and “the dialog is kind of helpful”.
“However it doesn’t matter what we are saying to our companions right this moment, we have to get Putin to present an actual order to cease the strikes,” the Ukrainian president mentioned in a televised assertion.
The Kremlin poured cold water on hopes for a rapid resolution of the warfare, with Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov telling Russian state TV on Sunday: “We’re solely originally of this path.”
The US is pushing for a broad ceasefire by 20 April, Bloomberg has reported, whereas sources mentioned the timeline may slip given the huge hole between Kyiv and Moscow’s positions.
In different information:
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Witkoff dismissed Keir Starmer’s attempts to rally peacekeepers in Ukraine as “a posture and a pose”. He mentioned the thought was based mostly on a “simplistic” notion of the UK prime minister and different European leaders pondering: “We’ve got all obtained to be like Winston Churchill.” Witkoff additionally performed down issues amongst Washington’s European Nato allies that Putin is likely to be emboldened by any peace deal in Ukraine to invade different neighbours, saying: “I simply don’t see that he desires to take all of Europe. It is a a lot totally different scenario than it was in world warfare two.”
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White Home nationwide safety adviser Mike Waltz mentioned the US was speaking by way of a spread of confidence-building measures within the talks on the warfare, together with on the way forward for Ukrainian youngsters taken into Russia. Requested in regards to the targets for the broader negotiations, Waltz mentioned that after a Black Sea ceasefire was agreed, “we’ll speak the road of management, which is the precise entrance traces. And that will get into the small print of verification mechanisms, peacekeeping, freezing the traces the place they’re. After which, in fact, the broader and everlasting peace.”
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A minimum of seven folks have been killed in a barrage of strikes from greater than 140 drones throughout Ukraine on Sunday, in keeping with native officers and emergency providers. Explosions have been heard within the early hours of the evening throughout the capital, Kyiv, because the air raid continued for greater than 5 hours. Russian drones and particles from downed drones, which have been flying at decrease altitudes to evade air defences, fell on residential buildings throughout Kyiv, with not less than one little one amongst these killed. The Russian barrage additionally struck the Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, Odesa and Donetsk areas, in keeping with officers.
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The net methods of Ukraine’s state-owned railway Ukrzaliznytsia have been subjected to a large-scale, focused cyber-attack, it mentioned. Restoration of the web methods was ongoing, the corporate mentioned on Telegram, however practice site visitors had been secure and operating with out delays.
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Ukraine’s air pressure mentioned on Monday it shot down 57 drones out of 99 launched by Russia in a single day. One other 36 imitator drones didn’t attain their targets, it mentioned, whereas not specifying what occurred to the remaining six drones.
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Russian authorities mentioned on Sunday their air defences destroyed 59 Ukrainian drones focusing on the nation’s south-western areas, including that the strikes had killed one individual in Rostov.
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Russian troops reportedly seized the small village of Sribne in japanese Ukraine’s Donetsk area, whereas Ukraine’s military mentioned its troops had recaptured a small village known as Nadia within the japanese Luhansk area.
