The proposed pause, running until Saturday, comes amid an uptick in Russian attacks.
On Tuesday, rockets struck Sumy, killing three civilians and damaging homes, part of a wave of bombardment that Kyiv says has intensified even as peace talks loom. On the same day, Russian rockets hit Kharkiv as well.
On Wednesday, Russian drone and missile strikes on Kyiv killed at least two people, while seven others, including four children, were injured in overnight Russian strikes on residential areas of Kyiv, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported.
President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told My Ukraine TV that Russia “has broken every ceasefire it ever declared” and that last month alone Moscow launched more than 4,500 missiles and drones—over 40% more than in April last year.
“As soon as talks of a peace process begin, Putin steps up strikes on civilian infrastructure,” he said.
Moscow’s previous “Easter ceasefire” collapsed almost immediately, with Russian forces resuming shelling across multiple sectors.
Ukraine has instead proposed a full, unconditional 30-day truce to allow genuine humanitarian relief and negotiations.
Western and U.N. officials have urged both sides to seize any opportunity for de-escalation.
But Kyiv insists that without firm guarantees and monitoring, short-term pauses serve only to bolster Russian propaganda rather than protect civilians.
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Source: IAR, The Independent