Russia and Ukraine exchange allegations of breaking a truce supported by the US.
May 10 (Reuters) - On Sunday, the second day of the U.S.-mediated ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine looked to be seriously strained as both sides accused the other of breaking the agreement by launching attacks throughout the weekend.President Donald Trump announced the three-day ceasefire on Friday as part of a larger U.S.-led peace effort that, despite months of shuttle diplomacy, has not yet succeeded in ending the more than four-year-old conflict.
Ukrainian officials claimed on Sunday that over 200 battlefield engagements had occurred since early Saturday and that three persons had been killed in Russian drone strikes on regions close to the front line.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Russia has continued to launch attacks along areas of the front where its forces are moving forward but refraining from large-scale aerial and missile strikes. In his evening speech, he stated, "In other words, the Russian army is not observing any silence on the front and is not even particularly trying to." He also mentioned that Ukrainian troops were reacting and protecting their positions.
Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of violating the truce on Sunday, claiming it had "responded in kind" on the battlefield and shot down 57 Ukrainian drones in the previous day.
According to Zelenskiy, he anticipated that the United States would ensure the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each party involved in the agreement.
Russia and Ukraine had earlier this week declared separate ceasefires that would begin on Friday and Wednesday, respectively, but they swiftly accused each other of violating them.
IN UKRAINE, DEAD AND WOUND
Regional governors and police said separately on Sunday that Russian drone attacks killed one person each in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov of the northeastern Kharkiv area reported that drone attacks on the regional capital and other communities had injured eight people, including two children.
According to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin on Sunday, drone or artillery assaults in the Kherson region have also injured seven persons, including a toddler, since early Saturday.
According to the State Emergencies Service, a 23-year-old driver was injured when Russian soldiers used a drone to strike one of its rescue trucks in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia launched 27 long-range drones against Ukraine overnight, less than normal, according to Kyiv's air force, but all of them were shot down by air defenses.
Nearly 210 confrontations have occurred along the vast, 1,200-kilometer front line since early Saturday, according to a Sunday afternoon statement from Ukraine's General Staff.
Reuters was unable to confirm the battlefield reports right away.
DIPLOMACY STALLED
Ukrainian officials claimed on Sunday that over 200 battlefield engagements had occurred since early Saturday and that three persons had been killed in Russian drone strikes on regions close to the front line.
According to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, Russia has continued to launch attacks along areas of the front where its forces are moving forward but refraining from large-scale aerial and missile strikes. In his evening speech, he stated, "In other words, the Russian army is not observing any silence on the front and is not even particularly trying to." He also mentioned that Ukrainian troops were reacting and protecting their positions.
Russia's Defense Ministry accused Ukraine of violating the truce on Sunday, claiming it had "responded in kind" on the battlefield and shot down 57 Ukrainian drones in the previous day.
According to Zelenskiy, he anticipated that the United States would ensure the exchange of 1,000 prisoners of war from each party involved in the agreement.
Russia and Ukraine had earlier this week declared separate ceasefires that would begin on Friday and Wednesday, respectively, but they swiftly accused each other of violating them.
IN UKRAINE, DEAD AND WOUND
Regional governors and police said separately on Sunday that Russian drone attacks killed one person each in the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhzhia, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kherson.
Governor Oleh Syniehubov of the northeastern Kharkiv area reported that drone attacks on the regional capital and other communities had injured eight people, including two children.
According to regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin on Sunday, drone or artillery assaults in the Kherson region have also injured seven persons, including a toddler, since early Saturday.
According to the State Emergencies Service, a 23-year-old driver was injured when Russian soldiers used a drone to strike one of its rescue trucks in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Russia launched 27 long-range drones against Ukraine overnight, less than normal, according to Kyiv's air force, but all of them were shot down by air defenses.
Nearly 210 confrontations have occurred along the vast, 1,200-kilometer front line since early Saturday, according to a Sunday afternoon statement from Ukraine's General Staff.
Reuters was unable to confirm the battlefield reports right away.
DIPLOMACY STALLED
Moscow has demanded that Kyiv give up the remaining portions of the eastern Donetsk region of Ukraine before it considers ending its war, and Russian soldiers are pushing an offensive to capture these areas.
The issue and control of the largest nuclear power station in Europe, Zaporizhzhia, which is under Russian occupation, have caused the U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow to stagnate.
President Vladimir Putin hinted that the conflict was "coming to an end" on Saturday, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that peace in Ukraine was "very long way" off.
Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov told news agency Interfax on Sunday that U.S. ambassador Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow "soon enough" to resume negotiations with Russia.
Rustem Umerov, Kyiv's chief negotiator, announced on Friday that he met Witkoff and Kushner in Miami to discuss humanitarian concerns and to "coordinate further steps" toward peace.
Separately, Germany rejected Putin's offer on Sunday that former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder might arrange negotiations with the EU to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine.
The issue and control of the largest nuclear power station in Europe, Zaporizhzhia, which is under Russian occupation, have caused the U.S.-backed peace negotiations between Kyiv and Moscow to stagnate.
President Vladimir Putin hinted that the conflict was "coming to an end" on Saturday, but Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that peace in Ukraine was "very long way" off.
Kremlin advisor Yuri Ushakov told news agency Interfax on Sunday that U.S. ambassador Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner will travel to Moscow "soon enough" to resume negotiations with Russia.
Rustem Umerov, Kyiv's chief negotiator, announced on Friday that he met Witkoff and Kushner in Miami to discuss humanitarian concerns and to "coordinate further steps" toward peace.
Separately, Germany rejected Putin's offer on Sunday that former Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder might arrange negotiations with the EU to reach a peace agreement in Ukraine.
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