Russian ballistic missiles have killed at least five civilians in Ukraine, officials said.
The assault comes a day after the Trump administration lifted its suspension of military aid for Kyiv’s fight against Russia’s invasion and Ukrainian officials signalled they were open to a 30-day ceasefire.
The Kremlin did not comment on the agreement announced on Tuesday between the US and Ukraine on the provision of further military support, including intelligence sharing, and the possibility of a ceasefire that Washington backs.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said it is important not to “get ahead” of the question of responding to the 30-day ceasefire proposal.
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He told reporters that Moscow is awaiting “detailed information” about the proposal from the US and suggested Russia must receive that before it can take a position.
The Russian missiles killed four Syrian men between the ages of 18 and 24 on a ship docked at the southern port of Odesa late on Tuesday, where it was loading Ukrainian wheat for Algeria, infrastructure minister Oleksii Kuleba said.
Another missile killed a woman in Kryvih Rih, President Volodymyr Zelensky’s home town in central Ukraine, authorities said.
The American help is vital for Ukraine’s shorthanded and battle-weary army, which is having a tough time keeping Russia’s bigger military force at bay.
Ukrainian forces have thanked the US for their support (AP Photo/Roman Chop)
But for Moscow, more American aid spells potentially more difficulty in achieving its war aims and will likely be a tough sell in Moscow for Washington’s peace efforts.
Arms deliveries to Ukraine have already resumed through a Polish logistics centre, the foreign ministers of Ukraine and Poland announced.
The deliveries go through a Nato and US hub in the eastern Polish city of Rzeszow that has been used to ferry Western weapons into neighbouring Ukraine about 45 miles away.
US President Donald Trump wants to end the three-year war and pressured Mr Zelensky to enter talks. The suspension of American assistance came days after Mr Zelenskyy and Mr Trump argued about the conflict in a tense White House meeting.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who led the American delegation to Tuesday’s talks in Saudi Arabia, said that Washington would present the ceasefire offer to the Kremlin, which has so far opposed anything short of a permanent end to the conflict and has not accepted any concessions.
Ukraine has signalled it is open for talks towards a ceasefire (AP)
“We’re going to tell (the Russians) this is what’s on the table. Ukraine is ready to stop shooting and start talking. And now it’ll be up to them to say yes or no,” Mr Rubio told reporters after the talks.
“If they say no, then we’ll unfortunately know what the impediment is to peace here.”
Mr Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is expected to travel this week to Moscow, where he could meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to one source.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the US-Ukraine agreement and said on X that “the ball is now clearly in Russia’s court”.
Russian legislators have signalled wariness about the prospect of a ceasefire.
Senior Russian senator Konstantin Kosachev noted in a post on the messaging app Telegram: “Russia is advancing (on the battlefield), so it will be different with Russia.
“Any agreements (with the understanding of the need for compromise) should be on our terms, not American.”