Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Monday that he stood by a proposal made to Russiaย for a ceasefire contingent on Moscow halting all attacks onย energyย infrastructure.
Zelenskyy said in his nightly video address that the proposal had been conveyed to Moscow through the U.S. He also said work was continuing with U.S. negotiators on security guarantees, which he called the key to lasting peace.
โIfย Russiaย is ready to stop strikes on our energy infrastructure, we will be ready to respond in kind,โ he said. โThis proposal has been conveyed to theย Russian side through the Americans.โ
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Zelenskyy offered last week to observe a ceasefire under similar conditions for Easter โ in the Orthodox faith dominant in both Russia and Ukraine Easter falls on this coming Sunday.
But following newย Russian attacks, he then saidย Russiaย had responded to the proposal by deploying Iranian-designed Shahed drones.
Moscow reacted coolly to Zelenskyyโs proposal last week, saying it favored an overall peace deal instead.
In his remarks on Monday, after an overnight attack on the Black Sea port of Odesa killed three people, Zelenskyy said Russia appeared unwilling to agree to an Easter ceasefire.
โWe have repeatedly proposed toย Russiaย a ceasefire at least for Easter, a special time of the year,โ he said. โBut for them, all times are the same. Nothing is sacred.โ
