Ukraine's Zelensky laments lack of US response as 2 killed in latest Russian strikes: ‘We are waiting’
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of response from the United States to Russia's refusal to agree to "a full, unconditional ceasefire". Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (3-L), Minister of Defence of Ukraine Rustem Umierov (2-L), meet with French Chief of the Defence Staff General Thierry Burkhard (3-R) and British Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Tony Radakin (2-R) in Kyiv, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (AFP/ Ukraine Presidential Press) The remarks come as two people were killed in Moscow's latest aerial bombardment in Ukraine. "We are waiting for the United States to respond -- so far, there has been no response," AFP quoted Zelensky as saying. Zelensky informed reporters that Russia mounted a "massive" missile and drone attack on Ukraine that also wounded seven people. He warned that Moscow was stepping up its aerial attacks. Ukraine has agreed to an unconditional truce in the more than three-year-long war proposed by the United States, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has refused to do so. Zelensky said that "the number of Russian air attacks is increasing", which he said proved that "the pressure on Russia is still insufficient". The Russia-Ukraine war is still dragging on, more than three years after the conflict began with Moscow’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, which President Vladimir Putin called a ‘limited military operation’ at the time. While US President Donald Trump has claimed that he would end the war ‘within 24 hours’, the conflict still seems to rage more than 10 weeks into his term that began on January 20. Russia on Sunday claimed the capture of a village in Ukraine's Sumy region in a rare cross-border advance, but Ukraine branded that as "disinformation". Earlier, Russia "launched a massive nationwide attack on Ukraine using ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones", AFP quoted Ukraine's first deputy prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko as saying. Explosions were heard in the night in the capital city of Kyiv, and smoke rose up from the city on Sunday morning. One person was killed and three people were wounded, the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on social media. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that "the body of a man killed in an enemy attack was discovered in Darnytsia district."
