logo
Putin Signals Willingness to Hold Bilateral Truce Talks With Ukraine

Putin Signals Willingness to Hold Bilateral Truce Talks With Ukraine

Epoch Times22-04-2025
Moscow is open to holding talks with Ukraine with a view to reaching a conditional cease-fire, Russian President Vladimir Putin has said.
'We have always said that we treat any peace initiative positively,' Putin said in
Putin made the remarks following the expiry of a unilateral 30-hour cease-fire, which he had announced over the weekend to coincide with the Easter holiday.
While Kyiv has accused Russia of violating its own unilateral truce, Moscow says its forces strictly observed the Easter cease-fire, which lasted from 6 p.m. on April 19 to midnight on April 20 (Moscow time).
Moscow also claims that Ukrainian forces attacked Russian positions—both military and civilian—during the cease-fire period.
The Epoch Times could not independently verify battlefield claims made by either side of the conflict, which recently entered its third year.
Related Stories
4/21/2025
4/19/2025
Despite allegations of cease-fire breaches, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that 'there were no air raid alerts [in Ukraine] on Easter, and some sectors of the frontline remained quiet.'
'This proves [a cease-fire] is possible ... when Russia chooses to reduce the killing,' he
Zelenskyy also repeated proposals for a longer-term truce aimed at banning strikes by either side on civilian facilities.
'Ukraine stands by its offer—at the very least, not to strike civilian infrastructure,' he wrote.
'And we expect a clear answer from Moscow.
'We are ready for any conversation on how to ensure this.'
In his recent remarks to the Russian press, Putin appeared to respond to Zelenskyy's proposal without mentioning the Ukrainian leader by name.
'We are always positive about a cease-fire, and this is why this [Easter truce] initiative was suggested,' Putin said.
'Regarding the proposal to refrain from striking civilian infrastructure targets—this matter requires thorough examination.'
He said that Ukrainian forces often used civilian facilities 'for military purposes.'
'All such cases require meticulous investigation, possibly even on a bilateral basis through dialogue,' Putin said. 'We do not rule this out.'
Speaking to reporters shortly afterward, a Kremlin spokesman appeared to
'When the president spoke about the option of negotiating the issue of not striking civilian infrastructure facilities ... he was particularly referring to negotiations and discussions with the Ukrainian side,' Russia's TASS news agency quoted the spokesman as saying on April 21.
A Ukrainian serviceman patrols an area in the Kyiv-controlled town of Sudzha in western Kursk region, Russia, on Aug. 16, 2024.
Yan Dobronosov/Reuters
Russia Claims Capture of Kursk Monastery
In a related development, Russia claims to have captured a strategic
'Our servicemen have liberated the St. Nicholas Belogorsky Monastery in Gornal,' TASS quoted a security source as saying on April 22.
'The Ukrainian resistance [in Kursk] has been crushed.'
Located near the Russia–Ukraine border, Gornal is one of the last remaining settlements in Kursk in which Ukrainian forces still maintain an active presence.
'The monastery complex ... was considered by the enemy exclusively as a military facility,' the security source told TASS.
Kyiv has yet to respond to Russian claims regarding the capture of the monastery, which The Epoch Times could not independently verify.
Last summer, Ukrainian forces staged a cross-border offensive into Russia's Kursk region, where they initially captured several hundred square miles of territory.
Since then, however, they have been forced to retreat from most of the region, where they still reportedly hold a small sliver of territory near the border.
According to the Russian military, more than
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos
Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos

Hamilton Spectator

time22 minutes ago

  • Hamilton Spectator

Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, authorities said Monday, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war . Over the past week, Russia launched some 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks , has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the U.S. and Europe. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading U.S. defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives 'hundreds of thousands' more this year. 'Air defense is the main thing for protecting life,' Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That includes developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones , he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during nighttime drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops . Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said. He didn't specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. Over the weekend, hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks. ___ Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .

Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos
Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos

Yahoo

time35 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, authorities said Monday, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said. Russia recently has intensified its aerial strikes on civilian areas after more than three years of war. Over the past week, Russia launched some 1,270 drones, 39 missiles and almost 1,000 powerful glide bombs at Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Monday. Russia's bigger army is also trying hard to break through at some points along the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620 miles) front line, where Ukrainian forces are severely stretched. The strain of keeping Russia's invasion at bay, and the lack of progress in direct peace talks, has compelled Ukraine to seek more military help from the U.S. and Europe. Zelenskyy said on Saturday that Ukraine had inked deals with European allies and a leading U.S. defense company to step up drone production, ensuring Kyiv receives 'hundreds of thousands' more this year. 'Air defense is the main thing for protecting life,' Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram on Monday. That includes developing and manufacturing interceptor drones that can stop Russia's long-range Shahed drones, he said. Extensive use of drones has also helped Ukraine compensate for its troop shortages on the front line. One person was killed in the southern city of Odesa, 27 were injured in northeastern Kharkiv and falling drone debris caused damage in two districts of Kyiv, the capital, during nighttime drone attacks, Ukrainian authorities said. Russian short-range drones also killed two people and injured two others in the northern Sumy region, officials said. Sumy is one of the places where Russia has concentrated large numbers of troops. Also, nine people were injured and seven killed in the eastern Donetsk region, regional Gov. Vadym Filashkin said. He didn't specify the type of weapons used. Meanwhile, Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that its troops shot down 91 Ukrainian drones in 13 Russian regions overnight, as well as over the Black Sea and the Russian-annexed Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. The Kremlin dismissed Transport Minister Roman Starovoyt on Monday, an order published on the Kremlin website said. The announcement did not give a reason for Starovoyt's dismissal. Over the weekend, hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed at Moscow's Sheremetyevo and St. Petersburg's Pulkovo airports. Other airports in western and central Russia also faced disruptions because of Ukrainian drone attacks. ___ Associated Press writer Katie Marie Davies in Manchester, England contributed to this report. ___ Follow AP's coverage of the war in Ukraine at

Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos
Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos

Washington Post

time43 minutes ago

  • Washington Post

Russia fires over 100 drones at Ukraine as Kremlin dismisses transport chief after travel chaos

KYIV, Ukraine — Russia fired more than 100 drones at civilian areas of Ukraine overnight, authorities said Monday, as the Kremlin dismissed the country's transport chief after a weekend of travel chaos when Russian airports grounded hundreds of flights due to the threat of Ukrainian drone attacks. At least 10 civilians were killed and 38 injured, including three children, in Russian attacks over the previous 24 hours, Ukrainian officials said.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store