Ukrainian President Zelenskyy says Putin’s ceasefire proposal is a “cover”. According to the US, a Putin ally is seeking control of raw materials from mines near Bakhmut. All developments in the live blog.
1:12 a.m
Zelenskyj: Putin’s ceasefire proposal is a cover
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reacted skeptically to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to call for a ceasefire in Ukraine for the Orthodox Easter celebrations. In his late night video address, he did not go so far as to say that his forces would reject requests to stop fighting, but questioned the motives of the Russian leadership.
“Now they want to use Christmas as a cover to stop the advance of our guys in Donbass for a while and bring equipment, ammunition and mobilized people closer to our positions,” he said. “What will it bring? Just a further increase in the number of casualties.”
Zelenskyi said nearly 110,000 Russian soldiers had been killed since he unveiled a peace plan in November. He accused the Kremlin of planning the lull “in order to continue the war with renewed vigour.”
1:12 a.m
Putin ally seeks control of raw materials from Bakhmut mines
According to White House assessments, Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Russian Wagner mercenary group and an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is intent on taking control of the salt and gypsum mines near the Ukrainian-controlled town of Bakhmut. This was announced by a White House official. There are indications that Russia’s “obsession” with taking Bakhmut is fueled by monetary motives, the official added