Russia and Ukraine have accused one another of seeking to prolong the war in Ukraine, which in February entered its fourth year.
On May 27, Russia’s Ministry of Defence said that Kyiv, with the support of some European countries, had taken provocative steps aimed at derailing peace negotiations.
On May 16, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met in Istanbul, where they held direct talks for the first time in three years.
They agreed on a sizeable prisoner swap, which was implemented over the weekend, and called for further talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire.
According to Moscow, Kyiv has stepped up attacks on Russian territory—using Western-supplied missiles and drones—over the past week.
Since May 20, Russian air defenses have intercepted more than 2,300 Ukrainian drones, including 1,465 outside the conflict zone, the defense ministry said.
Moscow made the assertions one day after German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said his country, along with other allies of Kyiv, would no longer impose range restrictions on Western missiles supplied to Ukraine.
“There are no longer any range restrictions for weapons that have been delivered to Ukraine—neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us, and not by the Americans either,” Merz said in televised comments. “That means Ukraine can also defend itself by, for example, attacking military positions in Russia.”
Zelenskyy Blames Moscow
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has blamed Moscow for prolonging the conflict, accusing Russia of preparing a fresh wave of offensive operations.“There is currently no indication that they are seriously considering peace or diplomacy,” he said. “On the contrary, there is ample evidence that they are preparing new offensive operations. ... This is a blatant disregard for all those around the world who seek peace and are trying to make diplomacy work.”
He went on to say that Russian strikes on Ukrainian targets were “becoming increasingly brazen and large-scale every night.”
Zelenskyy said Russia had fired more than 900 drones at targets in Ukraine over the previous three days, “along with ballistic and cruise missiles.”
“It is a clear political choice [by Moscow] ... to keep waging war and destroying lives,” he said.
The Ukrainian leader’s remarks followed three days of intense Russian drone attacks on several Ukrainian cities, including the capital, Kyiv.
According to Ukrainian officials, the attacks left at least 12 people dead and caused widespread material damage.
In terms of the total amount of munitions used, it was the largest Russian aerial attack on Ukraine since the conflict began in early 2022.
“We’re in the middle of talking and he’s shooting rockets into Kyiv and other cities,” Trump told reporters on May 25.
In a subsequent social media post, Trump said that his Russian counterpart had “gone absolutely crazy.”
In the same social media post, Trump also criticized Zelenskyy, saying the latter was “doing his country no favors by talking the way he does.”
In its May 27 statement, Russia’s defense ministry claimed that its recent aerial strikes had been aimed “exclusively at Ukrainian military facilities in response to Ukrainian large-scale drone attacks across Russian regions.”
On the same day, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, when asked about Trump’s comments on Russia, said the U.S. president was showing emotion because his peacemaking efforts were being sabotaged by European officials.
