VLADIMIR Putin launched a massive drone and missile attack on Ukraine as soon as the 30-hour Easter Truce was over.
He also reportedly flouted the truce period almost 3,000 times with attacks during his own-imposed mini ceasefire.
Putin has resumed heavy missile and drone fire on Ukraine[/caption]
A firefighter works at the site of a Russian drone strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, last week[/caption]
Rescuers pick through the wreckage caused by a Russian drone earlier this month[/caption]
Russia hammered the border regions of Sumy and Kharkiv with aerial bombs soon after the midnight end of the so-called truce.
Explosions were also reported in the Mykolaiv, Kherson, Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia and Dnipropetrovsk regions.
The truce, lasting little over a day, was proposed by Putin from 6pm on Saturday to midnight on Sunday, for what he called “humanitarian considerations”.
President Zelensky accused Putin of making a mockery of his own “truce” by repeated launching 2,839 attacks and drone incursions on its territory during the 30 hours.
And any hope that the agreement might lead to a longer period of peace has been dashed with the resumption of heavy warfare.
This comes as US pressure increases on Ukraine to make major concessions to Russia as part of a peace package.
The American president on Sunday night urged Moscow and Kyiv to “make a deal this week”, and last week indicated the US would abandon its peace efforts unless there was rapid progress.
In one apparent breach of the truce, near Kostyantynivka, footage shows an aid car was hit by a Russian drone.
The car was first attacked by a drone with a shrapnel charge, then two FPV drones aimed at the people, including a married couple being evacuated.
Humanitarian worker Yevhen Tkachev, who was wounded, said: “Such is the Easter truce,” according to Radio Liberty.
Addressing the violations, Zelensky said that Putin either “does not have full control over his army“, or has “no intention of making a genuine move towards ending the war, and are only interested in favourable PR coverage”.
However, the Ukrainian leader also proposed a longer, 30-day ceasefire deal after there were “no air-raid alerts” on Sunday.
He suggested that Russia “cease any strikes using long-range drones and missiles on civilian infrastructure for a period of at least 30 days, with the possibility of extension”.
He added that, if Russia refuses the measure, it will be “proof that it intends to continue doing only those things which destroy human lives and prolong the war”.
Fire fighters struggle to battle the blazes sparked by the missiles in Sumy[/caption]
A row of cars stand completely burnt out in Sumy city centre[/caption]
A bloodied mother cradles her child, who also looks to be injured, following the Sumy assault[/caption]
The embattled president insisted Ukraine is “ready to move toward peace and a full, unconditional, and honest ceasefire”.
As Russian strikes rained down early Monday morning, Putin refused Zelensky’s latest proposal.
This casts major doubt over whether Putin is ready for any kind of peace deal.
The Russian despot’s attitude seems unchanged from three weeks ago, when he said: “Not long ago I said we’d grind them [Ukraine] down — now it looks like we’ll finish them off.”
Over the course of the weekend, Zelensky has maintained that Ukraine is willing to “mirror Russia’s actions”.
Russia has shown no sign of letting up on the slaughter of Ukrainian civilians, launching a number of deadly attacks on the towns and cities of the defending nation.
One of the most horrifying was a bloody “double-tap” attack on Sumy that killed 35, including kids, and wounded dozens more on Palm Sunday.
More civilians were killed, including kids, in strikes on the city centre of Dnipro.
Vlad’s forces launched two Iskander-M ballistic missiles, with the second landing minutes after the first to maximise death amongst aid workers.
The bombs were reportedly fitted with vicious cluster munitions.
Zelensky proposed a longer ceasefire and reiterated Ukraine’s commitment to peace[/caption]
Trump has warned the warring nations to reach a deal soon, or he will abandon his brokering efforts[/caption]
World leaders slammed the Palm Sunday slaughter, with President Volodymyr Zelensky branding Putin a “b***ard” for deliberately targeting civilians in Sumy.
There is an increasing sense of urgency surrounding the peace negotiations after the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned the US is almost at the point of ditching its efforts.
Rubio said: “We’re not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end.
“So we need to determine very quickly now, and I’m talking about a matter of days whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks.
“If it is we’re in. If it’s not, then we have other priorities to focus on as well.”
His comments came after a marathon day of talks among US, Ukrainian and European diplomats, which he said had been positive.
It was the first time with Trump in charge that officials from those three groups are known to have met to discuss an end to the war.
Another similar meeting is expected in London this week, though Rubio has said he cannot attend.
The previous week, Trump issued a blistering warning to Putin to “get moving” and make real commitments to peace.