Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday said Russia had rejected a proposal for a truce over the Orthodox Christian Easter period this weekend but added he still had hopes for peace.
Mr Zelensky made the remarks in a video address. The Orthodox Easter service starts late on Saturday into Sunday morning.
In other developments, Mr Zelensky warned Ukrainians living in areas of southern Ukraine under Russian control not to provide Russians with their IDs because they could be used “to falsify a so-called referendum on our land” in order to create a Moscow-friendly government.
“This is a real possibility,” he said in his nightly video address to the nation. “Beware.”
Mr Zelensky’s comments came as Russian forces captured 42 villages in the eastern Donetsk region on Thursday, and Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed his troops had gained control of Mariupol following months of intense fighting.
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01:49 AM
US to host Ukraine-focused defense talks in Germany
NEWS: Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III to Host Meeting in Germany to Discuss Ukraine’s Long-Term Defense Needs https://t.co/xsJbDi27tV
— Department of Defense ???????? (@DeptofDefense) April 22, 2022
01:27 AM
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