Sybiha: Russians completely ignoring the offer of full and durable ceasefire starting May 12
During an online meeting with his colleagues from the UK, France, Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and the European Union, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha informed them of the current situation on the frontline and discussed, in particular, the next steps that could be taken, including sanctions against the Russian economy.
“I shared the most up-to-date information about the real frontline situation, which I received directly from Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky prior to the meeting. Russians are completely ignoring the offer of a full and durable ceasefire starting on May 12. They continue to attack Ukrainian positions all along the frontline. Moscow squanders another opportunity to put an end to the killings. This once again demonstrates that Russia's only goal is to prolong the war,” Sybiha said on X.
The head of the Foreign Ministry noted that Ukraine, on the contrary, is making every effort to end the war and give diplomacy a chance. “President Zelenskyy even proposed meeting with Putin in person on Thursday, but there has been no response as of yet,” Sybiha added.
He noted that at the meeting with ministers, "decisive steps" that could be taken were discussed, including sanctions against the Russian central bank, banking and energy sectors.
“We discussed strong steps that can be taken, including sanctions against Russia's banking, central bank, and energy sectors, combined with new defense assistance packages for Ukraine. Putin must understand the consequences of rejecting peace efforts and continuing the war. We coordinated our next steps, contacts, and efforts for this week and further. I am grateful to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Poland, and the European Union for their unwavering support and tireless efforts to achieve a fair peace,” Sybiha stressed.