The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation accused Ukraine and “certain European countries” on May 27 of attempting to disrupt the negotiation process between Moscow and Kyiv. The statement does not specify which countries are being referred to.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Russia’s Accusations and Ukraine’s Response
The ministry’s message noted that a “series of provocative actions aimed at disrupting the negotiation process” had been undertaken. In particular, since May 20, according to Moscow, the Ukrainian side has significantly increased the number of drone and Western-made missile attacks on civilian targets within the territory of the Russian Federation. It was stated that as a result of these strikes, civilians, including women and children, were harmed. In contrast, the Russian Ministry of Defense claims that it only targets military facilities and enterprises of Ukraine’s defense industry.
“Our country is ready to cease fire even tomorrow. The ball is in the Russian court. But their response is an escalation of missile terror,” said Sibiga in an interview with the Azerbaijani online publication Haqqin.
As of now, there has been no official response from the Ukrainian government to the statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga emphasized that Ukraine is fully prepared for a ceasefire, but Russia responds with new missile strikes.
Massive Attacks and International Reaction
Since May 24, Russia has carried out intense strikes on Ukraine for three consecutive nights. According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the aggressor used 355 drones in just one night, marking a record number since the onset of the full-scale war. During the shelling on Sunday night, 12 civilians were killed, including three children in the Zhytomyr region.
The massive strikes have caused a wave of outrage worldwide. U.S. President Donald Trump sharply criticized the actions of the Kremlin, calling Putin “absolutely insane.” However, Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, accusing him of making statements that, in his opinion, create problems for Ukraine.
On May 16, the first direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia since 2022 took place in Istanbul regarding the cessation of hostilities. The meeting was initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, but he did not attend the negotiations; his assistant, Vladimir Medinsky, led the delegation. The Ukrainian side was represented by Defense Minister Rustem Umerov. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the level of representation of the Russian delegation as “theatrical.”
