Ukraine says Russian strikes continued after ceasefire proposed by Europe kicked in
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, threatening Moscow with “massive” sanctions. 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.
Meanwhile, a German government spokesperson said at a regular news conference that European nations will start preparing additional sanctions against Russia if a ceasefire is not in place in Ukraine by the end of Monday.
“The clock is ticking, we still have 12 hours until the end of the day, and if the ceasefire is not in place by then, the European side will (set in motion) preparations for sanctions,” the spokesperson said.
Speaking at a defence industry forum, European Defence Commissioner Andrius Kubilius said that an EU-Ukraine task force will convene for the first time on Monday “to assist integration of our defence industries, to facilitate development of joint projects or joint procurement processes”.
