Russia's President Putin alleged to be manipulating peace negotiations with the U.S., as per Zelenskyy's remarks following a drone attack incident.
In the heat of the ongoing conflict, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy makes another plea to the U.S. to pile on the pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin, as escalating long-range drone strikes continue.
"Russian attacks are becoming bolder and broader each night," Zelenskyy shared via Telegram, after several days of relentless Russian strikes involving more than 900 attack drones and missiles.
"There's no military rationale behind this madness, but it's a clear political choice – Putin's choice, Russia's choice – to carry on the war and destroy lives," Zelenskyy wrote.
He advocated for new and stringent sanctions against Russia, emphasizing that these sanctions would be a guaranteed method to compel Russia to halt fire, respect negotiations, and embrace peace.
"Putin needs to start showing some respect," the president penned. "He's just toying with diplomacy and diplomats, and that needs to change."
Zelenskyy is making a case for Putin as the primary obstacle to a peace deal, as Kyiv grapples with a rocky bilateral relationship with President Donald Trump's administration.
Months of U.S.-facilitated peace talks have failed to produce a lasting ceasefire or a comprehensive framework for a peace agreement.
Trump's mounting frustration has been evident. Over the weekend, he branded Putin as "absolutely insane," while also criticizing Zelenskyy for causing problems with his public statements.
On Tuesday, Trump posted on Truth Social that "Putin doesn't seem to realize he'd be in big trouble if it weren't for me. A whole lot of really bad things would've happened already to Russia, and I mean REALLY BAD."
"He's playing with fire!" Trump added.
Earlier Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov suggested Trump was revealing "certain emotions" as his peace efforts were being undermined by European politicians "pushing Ukraine toward reckless actions like drone attacks on Moscow."
As the talks stall, Kyiv is pushing for a 30-day ceasefire during which negotiations can take place. So far, Russia has rejected this proposal.
Putin has told Trump that Moscow is preparing a memorandum detailing its negotiating stance, but Kyiv and its European partners have accused the Kremlin of intentionally postponing discussions.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova shared with reporters during a Tuesday briefing that Moscow is still developing its memorandum, which she promised would be dispatched to Kyiv once it's finalized.
Zelenskyy, on Monday, cast doubt on the Russian proposal, questioning, "They've been working on this for over a week. They talk a lot about diplomacy. But with constant Russian strikes, killings, and invasion preparations, what's the point?"
Ukrainian officials have implored Trump to enforce tougher sanctions on Moscow to compel the Kremlin toScale back its maximalist war goals. These demands include annexing Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian disarmament, and a permanent bar on Ukraine's entrance into NATO.
Ukrainian pleas have gone unheeded, despite Trump's threats to impose new sanctions to pressure Putin into dialogue.
The gloomy tale of the conflict unfolded as both Russia and Ukraine launched drone attacks on Monday night, raising concerns about the looming threat of new Russian offensives. Ukraine claimed it shot down 43 of 60 Russian drones, with confirmed effects in nine locations and falling debris in three locations. Russia, on the other hand, reported it downed 99 Ukrainian drones across seven regions.
"The international community is closely watching the escalating war-and-conflicts between Ukraine and Russia, particularly as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy calls for stronger sanctions against Russia to compel Russia to halt fire and respect negotiations."
"The ongoing political standoff, amidst general news of war-and-conflicts, has seen Kyiv pushing for international intervention to prevent Russia from achieving maximalist war goals, such as annexing Ukrainian territory, Ukrainian disarmament, and a permanent bar on Ukraine's entrance into NATO."
