Russia and Ukraine trade long-range strikes as peace talks enter ‘very critical’ week

KYIV Ukraine AP Ukraine and Russia targeted each other with long-range strikes officers explained Monday amid continuing uncertainty about whether an agreement to stop their more than three-year war is within reach at the start of what America s top diplomat called a very critical week The Russian Defense Ministry noted its forces downed Ukrainian drones overnight the majority of them over Russia s Bryansk confines region In Ukraine air raid sirens rang out across the country Monday morning There were no immediate reports of casualties or damage The outcome of a push by U S President Donald Trump s administration to swiftly end the fighting remains unclear clouded by conflicting asserts and doubts about how far each side might be willing to compromise amid deep hostility and mistrust The clock is ticking on Washington s engagement in efforts to resolve Europe s biggest conflict since World War II that has cost tens of thousands of lives U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Sunday that this week would be very critical The U S requirements to make a determination about whether this is an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in he mentioned on NBC s Meet the Press American military aid has been crucial for Ukraine s war effort and further help could be at hazard if the Trump administration walks away from attempts to end the war Trump revealed at the weekend he harbors doubts about Russian President Vladimir Putin s sincerity in pursuing a deal as Russian forces have continued to strike civilian areas of Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles while the talks have proceeded But on Friday Trump described a brokered settlement on the war as close Western European executives have accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet on peace talks so that Russian forces which are bigger than Ukraine s and have battlefield momentum can capture more Ukrainian land Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the war in a phone call with U S Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday the Russian Foreign Ministry commented The two diplomats focused on consolidating the emerging prerequisites for starting negotiations the report reported without offering further details Russia has effectively rejected a U S proposal for an immediate and full -day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions Ukraine has accepted it Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says A French diplomatic official commented at the weekend that Trump Zelenskyy and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed to pursue in the coming days the work of convergence to obtain a solid ceasefire The diplomat revealed a truce is a prior condition for a peace negotiation that respects the interest of Ukraine and the Europeans The official was not authorized to be publicly named in accordance with French presidential approach Ukraine meanwhile has balked at the possibility of surrendering land to Russia in return for peace which Washington has indicated could be necessary A key point of leverage for Ukraine could be a deal with Washington that grants access to Ukraine s critical mineral wealth Ukraine and the United States have made progress on a mineral agreement with both sides agreeing that American aid provided so far to Kyiv will not be taken into account under the terms of the deal Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal noted Sunday We have good progress he stated after talks with U S Treasury Under Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington The main thing is that we clearly defined our red lines The agreement must comply with Ukraine s Constitution bill and European commitments and must be ratified by Parliament Shmyhal mentioned The war that broke out after Russia s full-scale invasion of its neighbor in February has developed a major international dimension further complicating negotiations Putin on Monday thanked North Korea for sending what the U S estimates are thousands of troops to help defeat Ukraine as well as allegedly supplying artillery ammunition Iran has also helped Russia in the war with Shahed drones and China has sold Russia machinery and microelectronics that Moscow can use to make weapons Western executives say The U S and Europe have been Kyiv s biggest backers Follow AP s coverage of the war in Ukraine at https apnews com hub russia-ukraine Source