Zelensky had proposed a halt in strikes for Easter
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with more than 280 drones on Friday night after Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of an “Easter escalation”.
Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed or jammed 260 drones in the country's north, south, east and centre, with hits recorded in 10 locations, Ukrainian news site Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Officials said two people died after residential and civilian infrastructure in central Zhytomyr and Kyiv regions was attacked on Friday.
The governor of the eastern Donetsk region also said a Russian bomb strike killed three people in Kramatorsk.
The Ukrainian president had proposed a halt in strikes for Easter, telling Russia it would reciprocate if it stopped attacks on the energy sector.
In a post on social media, Zelensky said: “Not a single hour of peace for our people, and this is Russia’s response to our proposal for an Easter ceasefire.
Essentially, the Russians have only intensified their strikes, turning what should have been silence in the skies into an Easter escalation.”
EU must drop all sanctions on Russian oil and gas to boost energy security, Slovak PM says
The European Union should lift all sanctions on oil and gas from Russia to boost energy security, the prime minister of Slovakia has said.
Robert Fico said on Friday that the union shoud take steps to restore Druzhba oil flows and end the war in Ukraine to fight against the energy crisis stemming from the war in Iran.
"The EU and especially the (European Commission) should immediately resume dialogue with Russia and ensure such a political and legal environment that individual member states and the EU as a whole can replenish the missing gas and oil reserves and enable the supply of these strategic raw materials from all possible sources and directions, including Russia," Fico said in a statement after a call with Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban.
The EU’s import ban on Russia covers 90 per cent of its current oil imports from the country and affects one quarter of all Russian global coal exports, amounting to an €8 billion loss of revenue per year for Russia, according to the European Commission.
Recap: Russian forces attacked Ukraine with more than 280 drones
Russian forces attacked Ukraine with 286 drones on Friday night after Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of an “Easter escalation”.
Ukrainian air defence forces destroyed or jammed 260 drones in the country's north, south, east and centre, Ukrainska Pravda reported.
Russian strikes on Ukraine kill 5 people and wound 30 more
Pictured: street market hit by a Russian drone strike
Stress from Russian bombardment causing premature births in Ukraine, UN warns
Watch: Seven injured in Russian drone strike on Sumy as Zelensky warns of ‘Easter escalation’
Russia lures students to join its drone forces in Ukraine
Zelensky arrives in Istanbul for 'substantive' talks with Turkey's President
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Istanbul for "substantive" talks on security issues with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan.
"We are working to strengthen our partnership to ensure real protection of people’s lives, advance stability and guarantee security in our Europe, as well as in the Middle East.
Joint efforts always deliver the best results," Zelensky wrote on X.
Recap: Russia made no frontline gains in Ukraine during March
Zelensky ready for talks with Turkey's President
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived in Istanbul for talks with Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan.
A spokesperson also said Zelensky would meet Patriarch Bartholomew, the most senior cleric in the Orthodox Church.
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