US-brokered ceasefire ends with Russia and Ukraine trading accusations

Moscow/Kyiv, May 11. Russia and Ukraine traded accusations of breaches even before the three-day ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump expired on Monday.

Both sides cry foul

The Russian Defence Ministry claimed Ukrainian forces struck Russian positions with drones multiple times during the window. Ukraine's General Staff said Russia continued infantry attacks on the Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia axes. Both sides nevertheless coordinated on the ground for the 1,000-prisoner exchange.

Donbas remains the obstacle

The biggest hurdle to a peace deal is Putin's claim to the Donbas. The Russian President wants the entire Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts recognised as Russian sovereign territory. Zelenskyy's stance is that he "will not cede one inch of Ukrainian land", and constitutional bars rule it out anyway.

Europe's role

At an emergency meeting in Brussels, EU foreign ministers agreed that any peace deal would require European security forces on the ground as a guarantee. Britain and France have offered to lead a "reassurance force".

Trump's Beijing gambit

According to White House sources, Trump will raise the Ukraine issue prominently when he meets Xi Jinping in Beijing on May 14-15. The hope is that China can apply indirect pressure on Russia.

The situation on the ground

Despite the ceasefire, the war on Ukraine's eastern front has now entered its third year. According to human-rights groups, more than 50,000 civilians have been killed and over 14 million displaced since the war began in 2022.