Ukraine-Russia war latest: Ukrainian ceasefire enters effect after day of deadly Russian strikes – UK Times

US secretary of state Marco Rubio spoke ​with ⁠Russian foreign ⁠minister Sergei Lavrov ​at ⁠Lavrov’s ‌request, the State Department ‌said in a ‌statement.

The pair discussed the US-Russia relationship, the Russia-Ukraine war, ‌and ​Iran, the State Department said.

The 35 new measures, announced on Tuesday, aim to dismantle operations that reportedly trick people from countries including Nigeria, Syria, and Yemen with false promises of a better life, only to send them directly to the battlefield.

Foreign Office minister Stephen Doughty condemned the practice as “barbaric,” accusing Russia of “exploiting vulnerable people” and using them as “cannon fodder”.

The US State ⁠Department approved the potential sale of ⁠Joint ​Direct ⁠Attack Munitions – Extended ⁠Range ​and related ⁠equipment ‌to Ukraine for $373.6 million, it ‌said in ‌a statement ⁠on Tuesday.

The principal contractor will be Boeing Company, ‌the State Department ​added.

Russian attacks throughout eastern Ukraine killed at least 27 people on Tuesday, including 12 in one of the worst strikes so far this year, hours before the midnight deadline for a ceasefire proposed by Kyiv.

Russia has announced its own ceasefire for 8 and 9 May to coincide with commemorations of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War, including a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square.

Ukraine, in response, announced a proposal for an open-ended ceasefire starting at midnight on Wednesday (2100 GMT), urging Russia to reciprocate.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said it was not an option for Russia to halt strikes for one day for its military parade after days of bombarding Ukraine.

Ukrainian ⁠foreign minister Andrii Sybiha, writing in English on X, said: “With mere hours until Ukraine’s ceasefire proposal comes into force, Russia shows no signs of preparing to end hostilities. On the contrary, Moscow intensifies terror.”

World affairs editor Sam Kiley meets the founder of Ukraine’s ultranationalist Azov movement, Andrii Biletskyi, now a decorated military brigadier general holding Russia back on its most aggressive line of attack in Donetsk province.

Opponents of President Vladimir Putin suggest these measures are an attempt to bolster domestic control following four years of conflict.

The US State ⁠Department approved the potential sale of ⁠Joint ​Direct ⁠Attack Munitions – Extended ⁠Range ​and related ⁠equipment ‌to Ukraine for $373.6 million, it ‌said in ‌a statement ⁠on Tuesday.

The principal contractor will be Boeing Company, ‌the State Department ​added.

Russian attacks on cities in eastern Ukraine killed at least 25 people on Tuesday, including 12 in one of the worst strikes so far this year, hours before the deadline for a proposal from Kyiv for an open-ended ceasefire to begin ⁠at midnight, Reuters reports.

Russia announced a ceasefire for May 8 to 9 to coincide with commemorations of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two and a military parade in Moscow’s Red Square.

Ukraine, in response, announced a proposal for an open-ended ceasefire starting at midnight on Wednesday, urging ⁠Russia to reciprocate. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said it was ​not ⁠an option for Russia to halt strikes for one day for its military parade while having heavily pounded Ukraine.

In the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, an attack ⁠by aerial bombs and drones killed at least 12 people, Regional Governor Ivan Fedorov said on ​Telegram. ⁠He said 20 were injured.

Fedorov said ‌residential buildings, a car repair service and a car wash were damaged. The attack also sparked fires at a shop and an unidentified enterprise, he added.

A Ukrainian drone attack has killed five people in the Crimean city of Dzhankoi, according to Russian news agencies.

Sergei Aksyonov, the Russia-installed ⁠head of ​the ⁠local government, said: “Unfortunately, ‌as a ‌result of a strike ⁠by enemy drones in Dzhankoi, there are victims among the civilian ‌population. Five people ​were ‌killed.”