Russia, Ukraine accuse each other of aggression even as Putin agrees to halt attacks on energy infrastructure
According to US President Donald Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the proposed 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war would involve "energy and infrastructure in general." He also said that more talks on a ceasefire will continue on Sunday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
More than three years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the two sides have taken what could be the strongest step towards a ceasefire. This is after Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to stop attacking Ukrainian energy facilities for 30 days. The announcement was made after Putin held a call with Trump.
CREDIT: REUTERS
No complete ceasefire
The announcement, however, falls short of what Trump was pushing for and what Ukraine had agreed to earlier ¨C a 30-day ceasefire, including on the frontlines.
Moscow has launched devastating attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure throughout the war, which started in February 2022, while Ukraine has used drones to bomb multiple Russian oil installations.
What US said
According to Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, the proposed 30-day ceasefire in the Ukraine-Russia war would involve "energy and infrastructure in general."
He also said that more talks on a ceasefire will continue on Sunday in the Saudi Arabian city of Jeddah.
Attack on Russian oil depot
Even as the two sides agreed on scaling down the hostilities, there are already questions on if and how long the ceasefire would last.
Russia said on Tuesday that Ukrainian forces attempted a ground assault on the Belgorod region earlier but were pushed back. Russian officials said on Wednesday that a fire broke out at an oil depot in the southwest due to debris from a neutralised Ukrainian drone attack.
CREDIT: REUTERS
'Russia attacking civilian infrastructure'
Ukraine, on the other hand, accused Russia of rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes on civilian infrastructure hours after it agreed to pause attacks on the energy grid.
"Russia is attacking civilian infrastructure and people ¨C right now," Andriy Yermak, Zelenskiy's chief of staff, said overnight on Telegram.
CREDIT: AP
Regional authorities in Sumy, in northeast Ukraine, said that Russia's drone attacks damaged two hospitals there, causing no injuries but forcing the evacuation of patients and hospital staff.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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