Ukrainian President Folodimir Zellinski called on Saturday to impose additional international sanctions on Russia to force it to accept a ceasefire, after 15 people were injured in a Russian night attack by marches and missiles on the capital Kiev.
This coincides with the announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense today to conduct a second prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian side that included 307 soldiers from each party, as part of a recent agreement during Istanbul’s peace talks.
“With every such attack, the world is convinced that Moscow is the reason for prolonging the war. Moscow will not have to agree to the ceasefire except by imposing additional sanctions on major sectors of the Russian economy,” Zellinski said on the X platform.
He pointed out that the massive attack launched by Russia with running planes and ballistic missiles on Ukraine is a new evidence that Moscow is hindering a ceasefire agreement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-utoxkfqi
Peace
On the other hand, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov affirmed his country’s commitment to a peaceful solution to the crisis and the understandings reached during Istanbul’s negotiations with the Ukrainian side.
Lavrov – in statements to reporters – accused the Ukrainian army of carrying out attacks with drones against civilian targets in Russian territory during the period between May 20 and 23 this May.
He said that these attacks took place with the support of some European countries, led by Britain, France and Germany, and that they resulted in deaths and injuries.
“We are sure that these countries also have a share in the crimes committed, and we will work to put an end to this policy,” he added.
He described the attacks as “a clear attempt to undermine the negotiation process that started in Istanbul, in line with the understandings between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his American counterpart Donald Trump.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-dnoissi2q
Prisoner exchange
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced today the conduct of a second prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian side, which included 307 soldiers from each party, as part of an agreement reached during Istanbul peace negotiations.
A statement by the Ministry said that the exchange of prisoners was based on the agreement reached during the negotiations hosted by Türkiye in Istanbul last week.
He explained that “Ukraine handed over 307 Russian soldiers under the Russian -Ukrainian agreement reached in Istanbul on May 16, and in return, 307 war prisoners of the Ukrainian armed forces were delivered.”
This comes just hours after at least 15 people were injured in a heavy attack by Russian running and missiles in Kiev this morning.
The Ukrainian Air Force confirmed that 6 missiles and 245 Russian offensive marches were shot down during the night, especially the capital Kiev.
She said-in a statement-that “the air defenses dropped 6 Estanda M/KN-23 ballistic missiles and repelled 245 hostile witnesses of a witness,” out of a total of 14 ballistic missiles and 250 marches.
She confirmed that the capital Kyiv was the “main goal” of this attack.
In another field development, the Russian Ministry of Defense said that its forces had taken control of the Stopotchki, Utradni and Lukniya population gatherings in the Donetsk and Ukrainian regions.
The Russian Ministry of Defense also announced the control of the town of “Luknia”, in Sumi Province, and confirmed its control of two towns in Donetsk Province.
It is noteworthy that the Russian Ministry of Defense had announced yesterday, Friday, a prisoner exchange with the Ukrainian side that included 270 soldiers and 120 civilians from each party, as part of an agreement reached during Istanbul negotiations.
Since February 24, 2022, Russia has launched a military attack on its neighbor, Ukraine, and requires that Kiev be abandoned to join Western military bans, led by NATO (NATO), which Kiev considers “interference” in its affairs.
