Russian President Vladimir Putin with US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow today. Photo by Kristina Kormilitsyna (”Rossiya Segodnya“)
Moscow/Kyiv/Washington: A Russian general’s assassination, Russia’s bombing of Kyiv, and Ukraine’s truce violations, despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s calls for a ceasefire, virtually signal a prolonged Ukraine-Russia conflict, as U.S. peace efforts face setbacks with both sides locked in escalating violence.
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, Deputy Head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, was killed today in a car explosion in Balashikha, Moscow Region, caused by a homemade improvised explosive device laden with shrapnel, according to the Main Investigative Directorate of the Investigative Committee of Russia, which initiated a criminal case. Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that Ukrainian special services are suspected due to Moskalik’s role in the Minsk Contact Group and Normandy Format, warning that confirmed involvement would reveal the “barbaric and treacherous nature” of the Kiev regime, which she accused of rejecting peace proposals. This incident followed Russia’s bombing of Kyiv on April 24 that killed 12 people, intensifying a cycle of retaliation that undermines peace prospects.
Russian President Vladimir Putin today met United States Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in the Kremlin to discuss the ongoing conflict, with Presidential Aide Yury Ushakov and Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) Chief Executive Officer Kirill Dmitriev, Special Presidential Representative for Investment and Economic Cooperation with Foreign Countries, in attendance. The White House had announced Witkoff’s trip earlier in the week to advance peace talks, but the timing, hours after Moskalik’s assassination, underscores the fragile state of negotiations amidst rising violence.
In Kyiv, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the nation today, focusing on the urgent need for air defence systems after a Staff meeting and a report from the Minister of Defence. He tasked the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with securing an agreement with the U.S. for Patriot systems, stating, “We are ready to purchase the necessary number of Patriot systems for our country… We have proposed concrete deal options to protect our people.” Zelenskyy visited the site of the Kyiv ballistic missile strike with over 50 embassy representatives and 11 international organisation delegates, condemning Russia’s use of North Korean-supplied ballistic missiles that killed 12 civilians. Thanking global partners from Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America, he stressed the need for an “unconditional ceasefire” and “real pressure on Russia” to accept either the American or Ukrainian ceasefire proposal, expressing hope that “in the coming days, very significant meetings may take place—meetings that should bring us closer to silence for Ukraine.” However, his past rejection of peace talks, such as the London meeting on April 23, suggests a persistent gap between rhetoric and action.
Zelenskyy’s stance was further clarified on April 24 during a conversation with media in South Africa, where he stated, “Ukraine cannot accept any agreements that contradict our values and Constitution.” He emphasised that Ukraine accepted a U.S.-proposed “full and unconditional ceasefire” at a Saudi Arabia meeting, but Russia did not, adding, “If Russia claims it’s ready for a ceasefire, it must stop its massive strikes on Ukraine.” Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine wants to end the war and secure “reliable security guarantees,” but the first step must be a ceasefire, noting, “We are doing everything our partners have proposed. The only thing we cannot do is what contradicts our legislation and Constitution.” He highlighted the need to bring back children and release prisoners, stating, “The first occupation of Ukraine was in 2014. People have been imprisoned in Russia for almost 12 years. We want to bring people back home.” South African President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed his country’s readiness to mediate, saying, “We would like to see an agreement first for a ceasefire, and secondly to bring the war to an end completely… This is what we, as South Africa, are prepared to do.”
In Washington, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce on April 25 highlighted the diplomatic challenges, noting President Donald Trump’s disapproval of the Kyiv bombing and his Truth Social post criticizing Zelenskyy’s refusal to recognize Crimea’s occupation—a territory annexed by Russia in 2014 under former U.S. President Barack Obama—as “very harmful” to peace talks. Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, “There is no military solution to this war… Russia is not just going to roll over Ukraine… and Ukraine’s not to push them all the way back to where they were before 2014,” emphasising the need for concessions.
Trump further reprimanded both leaders for derailing peace efforts, calling Russia’s Kyiv bombardment on April 24 “not necessary” and “very bad timing” in a statement reported by NBC News on April 24, especially since it occurred hours after he believed deals to end the war had been struck on April 23. On April 25, Trump labelled Zelenskyy’s rejection of a U.S. plan to cede occupied territories “inflammatory” on social media, warning it would “prolong the ‘killing field,’” a sentiment echoed in his Truth Social post about Crimea, highlighting his frustration with both sides’ intransigence.
However, 44 days after Ukraine accepted the U.S. ceasefire proposal, Russia’s Kyiv bombing and Ukraine’s rejection of the London talks—where U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and European ministers withdrew after Zelenskyy demanded a ceasefire on his terms—illustrate the entrenched positions of both sides, dimming hopes for an imminent resolution despite Zelenskyy’s repeated calls for a ceasefire.
Zakharova’s April 24 briefing detailed Ukraine’s violations of a 30-hour Easter truce, with the Russian Defence Ministry recording 4,900 breaches, including artillery strikes, 90 drone attacks, and High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) strikes in Kursk Region, targeting civilian areas in Belgorod, Bryansk, Kursk, Kherson, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), and Crimea. Civilians were injured, including a woman and two girls in Nechayevka, Belgorod, and three in Donetsk and Gorlovka with 155 mm cluster munitions, while Ukrainian social media mocked a Donetsk petrol station fire on April 20 as “the descent of the Holy Fire.” Zakharova labeled Zelenskyy’s approach “schizophrenic,” citing civilian attacks from April 16–22, such as a 10-year-old boy killed in Malomikhailovka, a family wounded in Kosilovo, and an Orthodox chapel destroyed in Zernovo, alongside historical crimes like executions in Krasnogorovka before its September 2024 liberation and a family killed in Kursk in January 2025. These actions, met with Russia’s military response, reinforce a trajectory of sustained conflict, despite Zelenskyy’s diplomatic overtures.
Russia’s legal measures further entrench the divide: courts sentenced Azov members Vladislav Ruchka, Andrey Yaroshinsky, and Dmitry Ignatenko to 24, 24, and 23 years and nine months for a 2022 Mariupol attack, and Ukrainian servicemen Alexander Chmil and Sergey Yeremeyev to 16 and 15 years for 2024 Kursk attacks. Four members of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade—Sergey Safronov, Yaroslav Mazur, Dmitry Ogarenko, and Kirill Komarov—received 15–16 years, while mercenaries Joseph Philip McDonald from the United Kingdom and Gia Sagliani from Georgia got 14.5 and 14 years in absentia, and Australian Oscar Charles Augustus Jenkins awaits trial. These actions signal Russia’s commitment to counter Ukraine’s aggression, reducing the likelihood of dialogue in the near term, even as Zelenskyy pushes for international support and a ceasefire.
Western support for Ukraine intensifies the conflict: Germany’s €3 billion aid package includes 300 guided missiles and 15 Leopard tanks, Sweden’s $1.6 billion package includes ASC 890 aircraft, Norway pledged $7.8 billion, Denmark $960 million, Lithuania $216 million, and Latvia €20 million in drones. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)’s deployment of over 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe, plans for hypersonic missiles in Germany by 2026, and exercises like Steadfast Defender 2024 with 90,000 troops, alongside initiatives like the Baltic Sentry mission and Icebreaker Collaboration Effort Pact, reflect a strategy that Zakharova called a Cold War revival, further isolating Russia. Zakharova also criticised the United Nations (UN) Secretariat for ignoring Ukrainian violations, like Bucha and civilian shielding, while condemning Russia’s annexations, a bias that undermines neutral mediation efforts, complicating Zelenskyy’s call for global pressure on Russia.
Zelenskyy’s domestic actions, including sanctions on Russian figures like Alexander Sladkov and Yaroslav Dronov (Shaman), and entities like the Other Ukraine International Civic Movement, reflect what Alexander Rosenbaum termed an “aggravated allergy to everything Russian.” The destruction of a Soviet soldiers’ mass grave in Lvov on April 23, which Zakharova called the “last hill of immorality,” alongside reports of Zelenskyy’s power monopolisation per The Economist, indicate a regime focused on Russophobia and internal control. These moves, combined with Ukraine’s military actions and Russia’s retaliatory measures, suggest a deepening conflict, despite Zelenskyy’s expressed desire for a ceasefire, security guarantees, and the repatriation of children and prisoners.
– global bihari bureau
