*** Zelensky accuses Russia of rejecting ceasefire as new strikes hit Ukraine | THE DAILY TRIBUNE | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN

Zelensky accuses Russia of rejecting ceasefire as new strikes hit Ukraine

TDT | Manama

Email: mail@newsofbahrain.com

Ukraine accused Russia on Wednesday of effectively rejecting a US-backed ceasefire proposal, reporting a barrage of strikes hours after Moscow agreed to temporarily pause attacks on energy facilities.

Washington has been pushing for an immediate 30-day ceasefire as a first step to ending the grinding three-year-old war.

But in a 90-minute call with US President Donald Trump on Tuesday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin said a comprehensive deal would be contingent on the West halting all military aid and intelligence to Ukraine.

While the highly anticipated call did not secure the breakthrough ceasefire endorsed by Ukraine last week, it did result in a scaled-back commitment to halt attacks on energy infrastructure for 30 days.

According to the Kremlin, Putin has already ordered his military to pause strikes against Ukraine's power grid for 30 days.

Russia and Ukraine will also exchange 175 prisoners each on Wednesday "as a goodwill gesture", with further talks to take place immediately in the Middle East.

While Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the proposed energy truce, he also said he needed more "details" from Washington.

Explosions rang out and air raid sirens wailed in Ukraine just hours after Trump and Putin spoke.

Zelensky said "there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure", including a hospital in Sumy.

"Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire."

Ukraine authorities later said Russia had launched six missiles and dozens of drones overnight in a barrage that killed one person and damaged two hospitals.

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said the strikes showed that Putin was "playing a game".

"We've seen that attacks on civilian infrastructure have not eased at all in the first night after this supposedly ground-breaking, great phone call," he said.

Across the border, Russian emergency service officials said debris from a repelled Ukrainian drone attack ignited a fire at an oil depot in the village of Kavkazskaya.