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Zelenskyy says Putin’s vow not to hit Ukraine’s energy infrastructure ‘at odds with reality’

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Wednesday that a vow by Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin not to attack energy infrastructure was “very much at odds with reality” following an overnight barrage of drone strikes across the country.

Zelenskyy said that he would speak with U.S. President Donald Trump later in the day and expected to hear more about the American leader’s phone call with Putin about a ceasefire and to discuss the next steps to be taken.

“Even last night, after Putin’s conversation with … Trump, when Putin said that he was allegedly giving orders to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy, there were 150 drones launched overnight, including on energy facilities,” Zelenskyy said at a news conference in Helsinki with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.

Russia said it had halted its targeting of Ukraine’s energy facilities and accused Kyiv of attacking equipment near one of its pipelines.

Unfortunately, we see that for now there is no reciprocity on the part of the Kyiv regime,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said.

Russian strikes, which hit civilian areas and damaged a hospital, followed Putin’s refusal to back a full 30-day ceasefire during discussions with Trump.

The White House described the call between Trump and Putin as the first step in a “movement to peace” that Washington hopes will include a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea and eventually a full and lasting end to the fighting.

But there was no indication that Putin backed away from his conditions for a prospective peace deal, which are fiercely opposed by Kyiv.

Stubb called the discussions between Putin and Trump a step in the right direction, but Finland’s president said that Russia needs to end its aggression.

“There are only two ways to respond to the proposal of the president of the United States: it’s a yes or a no — no buts, no conditions,” Stubb said. “Ukraine accepted a ceasefire without any forms of conditions. If Russia refuses to agree, we need to increase our efforts to strengthen Ukraine and ratchet up pressure on Russia to convince them to come to the negotiating table.”

SourceAP News

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