Ceasefire in Ukraine Unrealistic at This Point, Russia’s UN Envoy Says

Vasily Nebenzya noted that attempt at a limited ceasefire concerning energy infrastructure was not observed by the Ukrainian side

UNITED NATIONS, April 18. /TASS/. A ceasefire in Ukraine is unrealistic at this point, as Kiev fails to honor the moratorium on striking energy infrastructure, said Russia's envoy to the UN, Vasily Nebenzya.

"We had an attempt at a limited ceasefire concerning energy infrastructure, which was not observed by the Ukrainian side. Under these circumstances, it is simply unrealistic to talk about a ceasefire at this point," he told reporters.

On March 18, US President Donald Trump put forward a proposal for the sides of the conflict to refrain from strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days. Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed and immediately gave the Russian military the appropriate command. Vladimir Zelensky later said Ukraine would also support the proposal.

However, Ukraine attacked Russian energy sites from March 18 to April 16 in 15 regions. They are the Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Zaporozhye, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov, Saratov, Smolensk, Tambov, Krasnodar and Kherson regions, Crimea, and the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics. The strikes were carried out with drones and various artillery capabilities, including the HIMARS. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Kiev has not actually observed the moratorium, and attempts to attack the Russian energy sector continue.