By Tom Balmforth
KYIV (Reuters) – Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks against Ukraine continued on Monday, including an overnight assault using more than 100 drones, despite a ceasefire proposed by Europe and Ukraine that Russia did not agree to abide by.
The leaders of four major European powers travelled to Kyiv on Saturday and demanded an unconditional 30-day ceasefire from Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, implicitly rejecting the offer, instead proposed direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul that he said could potentially lead to a ceasefire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said late on Sunday that the ceasefire offer remained on the table and that he was still waiting for a response from Moscow, but that Ukrainian forces would respond in kind if Russia flouted it.
The air force said in its morning readout that Ukraine came under attack overnight from 108 long-range combat drones starting from 11 p.m. (2000 GMT), an hour before the ceasefire was due to kick in. Attacks of this kind unfold over the course of hours as drones fly much slower than missiles.
“As of 08:30 (0500 GMT), it was confirmed that 55 Shahed attack (drones)… were shot down in the east, north, south and centre of the country,” it said, adding that an additional 30 had been lost on radars and caused no damage.
A woman was injured by a strike drone in the small port city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk in the Black Sea region of Odesa overnight, the regional governor said.
Russia also launched guided bombs at targets in the northeastern Kharkiv region and the northern Sumy region, the air force said.
The Ukrainian railway company said a Russian drone attacked a civilian freight train in the east.
“The truce proposals are being ignored, hostile attacks on railway infrastructure and rolling stock continue,” it wrote in a statement on Telegram.
The train’s driver received a shrapnel wound in his leg after the train was struck by a drone, it said. “His life is currently no longer in danger,” it added.
DIPLOMATIC MANEUOVERING
The state of play on the sprawling front line was not immediately clear. The military has not yet given a readout that specifically addresses the period from midnight.
Russia and Ukraine are both trying to show U.S. President Donald Trump that they are working towards his objective of reaching a rapid peace in Ukraine, while trying to make the other look like the spoiler to his efforts.
Kyiv is desperate to unlock more of the U.S. military backing it received from Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. Moscow senses an opportunity to get relief from a barrage of economic sanctions and engage with the world’s biggest economy.
Europe meanwhile is doing its best to preserve good relations with Trump despite him imposing tariffs, hoping it can persuade him to swing more forcefully behind Ukraine’s cause, which they see as central to the continent’s security.
A group of European foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas are set to hold talks in London on Monday.
The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland on Saturday threatened Russia with new sanctions if the truce was violated, though it is unclear what firepower they are able to muster on that front in the near term.
Putin dismissed what he said was an attempt to lay down “ultimatums”. His foreign ministry spelled out that talks about the root causes of the conflict must precede discussions of a ceasefire.
With Russian forces grinding forward, the Kremlin chief has offered few, if any, concessions so far. Russia says a ceasefire would allow Ukraine to catch its breath and rebuild its military.
Zelenskiy initially responded guardedly on Sunday after Putin, in a night-time televised statement that coincided with prime time in the U.S., proposed direct talks in Istanbul on Thursday, May 15.
But after Trump told Zelenskiy to agree to Putin’s offer “immediately”, the Ukrainian leader challenged the Kremlin chief to meet him in person in Istanbul on Thursday.
It was far from clear, however, if Putin meant he would attend in person. Putin and Zelenskiy have not met since December 2019 and make no secret of their contempt for each other.
(Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Sharon Singleton)
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