Russian drones attack Ukraine after turning down 30-day ceasefire

Russia launched more than 100 Shahed and decoy drones at Ukraine in night-time attacks, the Ukrainian air force said Monday, after the Kremlin effectively rejected an unconditional 30-day ceasefire in the more than three-year war, but reiterated that it would take part in possible peace talks later this week without preconditions.

There was no direct response from the Kremlin, meanwhile, to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s challenge for Russian leader Vladimir Putin to meet him for face-to-face peace talks in Turkiye on Thursday.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday refused to say who might travel to Istanbul from the Russian side. “Overall, we’re determined to seriously look for ways to achieve a long-term peaceful settlement. That is all,” Peskov said.

The US and European governments are making a concerted push to stop the fighting, which has killed tens of thousands of soldiers on both sides, as well as more than 10,000 Ukrainian. Russia’s invading forces have taken around one-fifth of Ukraine in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.

In a flurry of diplomatic developments over the weekend, Russia shunned the ceasefire proposal tabled by the US and European leaders, but offered direct talks with Ukraine on Thursday.