Following a deadly overnight attack that killed at least 16 people and wounded around 100 others in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said that Russia should not receive any easing or lifting of international sanctions.
The Ukrainian President made the remarks after the latest strike, which Ukrainian authorities say caused significant civilian casualties and damage. The Kremlin’s latest deadly attack comes after the end of a 32-hour Orthodox Easter truce marred by accusations of mass violations, according to both countries.
In a statement responding to the attack, Zelenskyy argued that the scale of the violence underscores why international pressure on Russia must remain firm rather than be reduced. He asserted that Russia “does not deserve any easing … or lifting on sanctions.”
He stressed that the international community should maintain its economic and political pressure on Moscow in response to continued military actions. The Ukrainian leader said the overnight strike was further evidence that Russia remains committed to pursuing the war despite repeated calls from Kyiv and its allies for an end to the conflict.
Zelenskyy said the latest attack demonstrated that Russia continues to rely on military force as its primary strategy in the conflict. In response, he urged Ukraine’s partners to remain steadfast in their support for Kyiv and to maintain sanctions designed to weaken Russia’s ability to sustain the war.
“Russia is betting on war, and the response must be exactly that: we must defend lives with all available means, and we must also apply pressure for the sake of peace with the same full force.”
Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Ukrainian officials have repeatedly argued that maintaining economic pressure is essential to pushing Russia to engage seriously in peace negotiations. Kyiv has also emphasized the importance of continued military and financial assistance from Western partners as it seeks to defend its territory and population.
The war has had far-reaching consequences for Ukraine, including damage to infrastructure, economic disruption and significant civilian casualties. Millions of Ukrainians have been displaced internally or have sought refuge abroad since the conflict started.
Zelenskyy said that nearly 700 Russian drones and 19 ballistic missiles were fired at Ukraine, targeting mostly the capital city of Kyiv, Odesa, and Dnipro. “There can be no normalisation of Russia as it is today,” he said, adding, “Pressure on Russia must work.”
Meanwhile, Russia’s defence ministry claimed that its overnight attack was focused on striking production facilities for cruise missiles and drones and energy targets, which it said supplied Ukraine’s armed forces. However, the Ukrainian authorities said that the strikes killed a number of civilians, including two teenage children, with 16 dead, and some 100 wounded in total.
Peace talks spearheaded by the United States to end the war have been derailed by US and Israeli war with Iran. German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius warned yesterday that while “the so-called Russian Ukrainian peace talks have currently been suspended, the truth is, anyway, Russia has never taken them seriously,” as he said “this is why it is all the more important to support Ukraine.”
Kyiv’s drone forces Commander said on the Telegram that following the overnight attacks, the Ukrainian military struck two oil depots in Russia-occupied Crimea and infrastructure in Russia’s southern port of Tuapse.
EU Criticises Russia’s Strikes On Ukraine, Supports Sanctions
President of the European Council, António Costa condemned the “horrendous” overnight attacks on Ukraine by Russia, alleging Russian forces “deliberately carried out follow-up strikes” to target first responders.
“As people slept in their homes, the cities of Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa, and Kharkiv were struck by dozens of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones. Russian armed forces deliberately carried out follow-up strikes on Ukrainian emergency services as first responders arrived to save lives.
“Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine has failed, and so it chooses to deliberately terrorise civilians. Russia must stop this war of terror.”
António Costa
Responding to Zelenskyy’s comments on sanctions, the European Commission’s Chief Spokesperson Paula Pinho told reporters that “giving any relief in terms of sanctions … vis a vis Russia is not helpful in maintaining the pressure” on Moscow to end its aggression against Ukraine. She added, “It should be ironic that Russia is actually benefiting from the war in the Middle East.”
She said that the EU was still looking at tightening its sanctions and “hope to make some progress there” to make it difficult for Russia to “benefit from continuing this terrible war, where attacks do not stop as we just were reminded.”
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