Zelenskyy accuses Putin of lying after hospital bombing, with Ukrainian president to speak to Trump on Wednesday
by Kit Heren · LBCBy Kit Heren
Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Vladimir Putin of lying to Donald Trump after Ukraine was bombarded with drone strikes just hours after the Kremlin agreed to pause infrastructure attacks.
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Mr Zelenskyy said that several civilian and infrastructure facilities were hit overnight, including two hospitals in the eastern town of Sumy.
The Ukrainian president said that he and Donald Trump would be speaking on Wednesday.
He told reporters that Putin's words were "very different from reality".
Speaking at a press conference with the Ukrainian president, Mr Zelenskyy said: "Even this night, after Putin's talk with Trump, when Putin allegedly said he had given the order to stop strikes on Ukrainian energy targets, 150 drones struck energy infrastructure and transport".
Mr Zelenskyy also said that his country would make NATO stronger if it were allowed to join - although Russia strongly opposes this.
The Ukrainian president also set out his red lines for a peace deal, telling reporters that he would not accept losing regions that Russia has annexed or claims sovereignty over. He also demanded the release of more prisoners and guarantees that war will not restart.
Read more: 'Putin bluntly rejected Trump's ceasefire plan', former Ukrainian PM tells LBC
It comes after a series of drone strikes in Ukraine after the call between Putin and Trump, including hitting the energy infrastructure of Slovyansk, a city of 100,000 people in the Donetsk region, leaving much of the city without power.
The Ukrainian public railway operator said a power system in the east of the country was disabled by a drone attack overnight. Ukrzaliznytsia asked: "So this is what 'an immediate ceasefire on all energy and infrastructure' looks like?"
Meanwhile Russia also accused Ukraine of attacks, saying its forces had thwarted 57 Ukrainian drones overnight, and an oil facility in the southern Krasnodar region was hit.
The attacks came just hours after Putin rejected the White House’s call for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, instead agreeing to a 30-day pause on attacks on energy plants and other crucial infrastructure.
Mr Zelenskyy accused Russia of “effectively rejecting” a ceasefire following Putin’s “historic” talks with Trump.
And the country's former Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said that Putin "bluntly rejected" a ceasefire in the call.
Russian former president Dmitry Medvedev taunted Ukraine after the call, saying:"Light appetisers - Brussels sprouts, British fish and chips and Paris rooster. The main course is a Kiev-style cutlet. Enjoy your meal!"
Sir Stephen Timms speaks to Nick Ferrari
Meanwhile British government minister Stephen Timms told LBC that the latest developments on Ukraine were "not encouraging".
He added: "What we need is the full ceasefire that the US and Ukraine have agreed to. The Prime Minister spoke to President Zelensky last night. We want to see the ceasefire."
Asked how realistic a prospect that is, he said: "It's not encouraging beyond this rather limited move that Russia has made. Let's hope that Russia can be prevailed on to deliver the full ceasefire that the US and Ukraine are asking for."
Germany accused Russia of "playing a game".
"Attacks on civilian infrastructure in the first night after this supposedly pivotal and great phone call have not abated," the country's defence minister Boris Pistorius said.
"Putin is playing a game here and I'm sure that the American president won't be able to sit and watch for much longer".
Key points from landmark Trump-Putin talks
- Kremlin demands complete halt of US military aid to Kyiv
- White House says ‘movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire’ lasting 30 days
- Russia and Ukraine ‘to exchange prisoners’
- Zelenskyy says Putin's proposals show he is 'not ready' for lasting peace
Ceasefire talks are set to continue on Sunday, according to US special envoy Steve Witkoff, but Zelenskyy has already accused Russia of rejecting any peace plan.
Mr Zelenskyy wrote: “Unfortunately, there have been hits, specifically on civilian infrastructure.
“Today, Putin effectively rejected the proposal for a full ceasefire.”
The Ukrainian President said he supports the 30-day pause to strikes on Ukraine's energy infrastructure agreed by the Russian leader and US President Donald Trump.
But Mr Zelenskyy said Ukraine, which was not involved in the 90-minute phone call, needs full transparency before any official agreement is reached.
He told reporters on Tuesday: “We need to understand what the conversation is about. What are the details? And hopefully, we will be fully informed, and our partners will discuss everything with us.”
The Ukrainian leader added: “There are two sides in this war — Russia and Ukraine. Trying to negotiate without Ukraine, in my view, will not be productive.”
Mr Zelenskyy also said he did not believe Ukraine’s allies would stop providing military aid, one of the key conditions Moscow said was needed for a peace deal.
He added that Moscow is seeking to “weaken” Ukraine by attempting to stop the flow of weapons and intelligence, arguing Putin's proposal shows he is not “ready” to end the war.
In a statement, the Kremlin described the talks with President Trump as a "frank exchange of views on the situation around Ukraine."
Its readout of the call stated: "Vladimir Putin expressed gratitude to Donald Trump for his desire to help achieve the noble goal of ending hostilities and human losses."
It added: "In the context of the US President's initiative to introduce a 30-day truce, the Russian side outlined a number of significant points regarding ensuring effective control over a possible ceasefire along the entire line of combat contact, the need to stop forced mobilisation in Ukraine and rearm the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
"Serious risks associated with the inability to negotiate of the Kyiv regime, which has repeatedly sabotaged and violated the agreements reached, were also noted. Attention was drawn to the barbaric terrorist crimes committed by Ukrainian militants against the civilian population of the Kursk region.
"It was emphasised that the key condition for preventing the escalation of the conflict and working towards its resolution by political and diplomatic means should be the complete cessation of foreign military aid and the provision of intelligence information to Kyiv."
It said following the call: "Both leaders agreed this conflict needs to end with a lasting peace.
"The leaders agreed that the movement to peace will begin with an energy and infrastructure ceasefire, as well as technical negotiations on the implementation of a maritime ceasefire in the Black Sea, full ceasefire and permanent peace."
These negotiations will begin immediately in the Middle East, it added.
The White House added: “The two leaders agreed that a future with an improved bilateral relationship between the United States and Russia has huge upside. This includes enormous economic deals and geopolitical stability when peace has been achieved.”
It added that Putin and Mr Trump view "the Middle East as a region of potential co-operation to prevent future conflicts".