Ukraine ceasefire 'may not come into effect this year', Kremlin says, as Russian forces kill two in hospital bombing
30 March 2025, 13:53
A ceasefire in Ukraine may not come into effect this year, a top Kremlin official has warned.
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Grigory Karasin, who led Russia's negotiating team with the US earlier this month, said that "it would be naive to expect any breakthrough results at the very first meeting".
Mr Karasin, a former ambassador to the UK, said that a truce may not come "this year or at the end of this year”.
He said that the talks had not led to "any radical breakthrough yet, but the opportunities are there".
Russia rejected a full 30-day ceasefire, which had been supported by Ukraine and the US.
Instead the two sides agreed to a limited halt to strikes on the Black Sea and energy infrastructure. Both Russia and Ukraine have already accused each other of violating this.
Late on Saturday, two people died and 35 others were injured after Russian drones hit a military hospital, shopping centre, apartment blocks and other buildings in Kharkiv late on Saturday, Ukrainian officials said.
Regional governor Oleh Syniehubov said a 67-year-old man and a 70-year-old woman were killed in the attack on Ukraine's second-largest city.
Ukraine's General Staff denounced the "deliberate, targeted shelling" of the military hospital. Among the casualties were "servicemen who were undergoing treatment," it said.
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The Ukrainian Air Force reported that Russia fired 111 exploding drones and decoys in the latest wave of attacks overnight into Sunday.
It said 65 of them were intercepted and another 35 were lost, likely having been electronically jammed.
Meanwhile, Russia's ministry of defence said its air defence systems shot down six Ukrainian drones.
According to Ukrainian government and military analysts, Russian forces are preparing to launch a fresh military offensive in the coming weeks to maximise pressure on Ukraine and strengthen the Kremlin's negotiating position in ceasefire talks.
