Hours after the call between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump where they agreed to a 30-day "energy and infrastructure ceasefire," Russia and Ukraine launched new attacks on enemy territory early this morning.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused the Russian president of rejecting the ceasefire proposal and breaking his word by attacking civilian infrastructure, including two hospitals in the city of Sumy and the electrical system of the Ukrainian state railway network in the Dnipropetrovsk region.
Furthermore, the Ukrainian president stated that he will have a phone conversation with Trump today, where he expects to be informed about the call between the American and Russian leaders and affirmed that he will not recognize any Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.
Meanwhile, Moscow accused Ukraine of attempting to sabotage the 30-day moratorium on attacks with a deliberate drone strike in Krasnodar against an oil depot that caused a fire.
On the other hand, the United States announced late Tuesday that negotiations for a ceasefire in Ukraine will continue this Sunday in the city of Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Robles believes the conversation between Trump and Putin was "very disappointing"
Defense Minister Margarita Robles stated on Wednesday that the conversation between Trump and Putin regarding the ceasefire in Ukraine "was very disappointing," demonstrating that the Russian leader "is the warlord."
Robles considered it "a very disappointing conversation," as she explained during the recent visit to Madrid by her Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov, who conveyed that "Ukraine is perfectly determined to reach a peace agreement with the support of the United States," the minister told reporters in the corridors of the Congress.
"What is happening in Ukraine, where people are being massacred in a very cruel way, has only one responsible party, a warlord who is Putin, and therefore we will continue to clearly support Ukraine," she emphasized.
Zelenski announces he will speak with Trump today
In addition, the Ukrainian president confirmed that he will have a phone conversation with Donald Trump during the day, where he expects to be informed about the details of the conversation held on Tuesday between the American president and the Kremlin chief, Vladimir Putin.
Zelenski also stated that the United States should oversee the partial ceasefire, which involves a cessation of Russian attacks on energy infrastructure, agreed upon by the American and Russian leaders.
Zelenski asserts he will not yield any occupied territory to Russia
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski emphasized on Wednesday that the ceasefire proposed by the US is a "correct" first step towards ending the war but insisted that he will not recognize any Ukrainian territory occupied by Russia.
"For us, the red line is the recognition of temporarily occupied territories as part of Russia. We will not do it," Zelenski said when asked about the possibility of the US and Russia demanding that he recognize the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, as part of the Russian Federation.
Zelenski also reproaches Putin for not keeping his word
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski accused Vladimir Putin on Wednesday of not keeping his word, after the Russian military again attacked Ukrainian energy infrastructure despite the Kremlin leader's order to start working on a partial ceasefire.
In a media appearance in Helsinki, where he met with his Finnish counterpart, Alexander Stubb, Zelenski called on the international community to increase pressure on Russia to force an end to the war.
Russia accuses Ukraine of sabotaging the pause in energy attacks
The Russian Army accused Ukraine on Wednesday of attempting to sabotage a 30-day moratorium on mutual attacks on energy infrastructure with a deliberate drone strike on an oil depot in southern Russia.
The Defense Ministry said in a statement that the attack took place hours after a call between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in which they had agreed to the moratorium.
The overnight drone attack by Ukrainians caused a fire at the oil depot, located near the village of Kavkazskaya in the Krasnodar region, Russian regional authorities had previously stated.
UN accuses Russia of crimes against humanity with forced disappearances
The UN Commission investigating crimes committed since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine stated on Wednesday that Russia has committed crimes against humanity with forced disappearances.
"These acts have been part of a state policy directed against those perceived by Russian authorities as threats to their military objectives," it adds.
"Detained civilians were transferred to facilities in occupied areas or deported to Russia, where they faced additional abuses, including torture and sexual violence," Commission President Erik Møse declared to the Human Rights Council.
Germany believes Putin's partial ceasefire "means nothing" after bombings
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius criticized on Wednesday the limited ceasefire on attacks on the energy sector and infrastructure agreed upon by Washington and Moscow the day before because "it means nothing" in light of ongoing bombings and will only serve Russia to weaken Ukraine, continue arming itself, and gather more troops on the front.
In statements to the morning program of the second public television channel ZDF, the Social Democratic politician emphasized that the partial ceasefire "means nothing." "So Putin is playing a game here, and I am sure that the US president will not be able to stand idly by for long," Pistorius stressed.
The German Defense Minister expressed being "very confident" that there will come a time when Trump will react to Putin's strategy, also to demonstrate strength and not lose reputation.
Russia attacks the electrical system of Ukrainian state railways
Russia attacked the electrical system of the Ukrainian state railway network in the Dnipropetrovsk region on Wednesday, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin promised not to attack Ukrainian energy and infrastructure, according to Ukrainian Railways.
"On the morning of March 19, the enemy attacked the railway electrical system in the Dnipropetrovsk region with drones. There are sections without power, but trains continue to operate as planned," the company wrote on Telegram.
EU will not accept Putin's demand to stop arms deliveries
EU Foreign Affairs Chief Kaja Kallas warned on Wednesday that the bloc cannot accept Russian President Vladimir Putin's demand to stop arms deliveries to Ukraine.
In statements to a group of journalists, Kallas added that based on what is known from the Tuesday phone contact between Putin and US President Donald Trump, "it is evident that Russia does not want to make any concessions."