Ukraine says Russia fired barrage of drones amid calls for ceasefire

Ukrainian authorities accidental ceasefire proposals are being ‘ignored’ arsenic caller drone attacks harm civilian infrastructure.

Ukraine has said Russia fired much than 100 drones overnight, contempt attempts from Kyiv’s allies to get Moscow to statesman a 30-day ceasefire.

Ukrainian aerial defences destroyed 55 of the 108 drones that Russia launched since 11pm (20:00 GMT) connected Sunday, Ukraine’s aerial unit said successful a connection connected Monday, the time to statesman the ceasefire projected by Kyiv and its European allies to Russia.

The attacks besides included 30 simulator drones that were mislaid on the mode without hitting anything. Drones were changeable down successful the east, north, southbound and cardinal parts of Ukraine, the aerial unit said.

One idiosyncratic was wounded and residential buildings were damaged successful the confederate Odesa region, the subject medication said. The attacks besides damaged railway infrastructure and wounded a bid operator successful the eastbound Donetsk region.

Ukrainian nationalist railway relation Ukrzaliznytsia said “ceasefire proposals are being ignored, and the force continues attacks connected railway infrastructure”.

Ceasefire calls, nonstop talks proposal

On a visit to Kyiv connected Saturday, the leaders of France, Germany, Poland, and the United Kingdom called connected Russia to hold to an unconditional ceasefire from Monday to let for bid talks – a connection they said was backed by the United States.

Russian President Vladimir Putin connected Sunday projected nonstop negotiations with Ukraine successful Istanbul connected May 15, without specifically addressing the European telephone but criticising “ultimatums” and “anti-Russian rhetoric”.

“We bash not exclude that during these talks we volition beryllium capable to hold connected immoderate caller ceasefire,” Putin added.

Insisting that a ceasefire should instrumentality effect first, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy aboriginal said helium would beryllium prepared to conscionable Putin successful Turkiye – but did not accidental whether helium would inactive be if Russia refused the truce proposal.

It came aft US President Donald Trump said successful a societal media station Ukraine should hold to Putin’s connection for nonstop talks “immediately”.

European leaders, however, reacted with scepticism to Putin’s proposal, with French President Emmanuel Macron informing that helium was simply trying “to bargain time”.

“An unconditional ceasefire is not preceded by negotiations, by definition,” Macron told reporters arsenic helium stepped disconnected a bid successful the Polish metropolis of Przemysl connected his instrumentality from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, European ministers were acceptable to conscionable successful the United Kingdom connected Monday for “critical” talks connected “repelling Russian aggression”, successful what volition beryllium the sixth gathering of the Weimar+ group.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy was expected to denote further sanctions targeting those backing Russia’s invasion. “The situation we look contiguous is not lone astir the aboriginal of Ukraine – it is existential for Europe arsenic a whole,” Lammy said earlier the talks.

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Al Jazeera and quality agencies