Ukraine and Russia’s Truce Agreements Run into Trouble within Hours

In this photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Russian soldiers patrol an area in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) 
In this photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Russian soldiers patrol an area in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) 
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Ukraine and Russia’s Truce Agreements Run into Trouble within Hours

In this photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Russian soldiers patrol an area in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) 
In this photo taken from video distributed by the Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Thursday, March 13, 2025, Russian soldiers patrol an area in Sudzha, in the Kursk region of Russia, after it was taken over by Russian troops. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP) 

Ukraine and Russia accused one another on Wednesday of flouting a truce on energy strikes brokered by the United States, and the European Union said it would not meet conditions set by Russia for a planned ceasefire in the Black Sea.

The United States announced separate agreements with Ukraine and Russia on Tuesday to pause their strikes in the Black Sea and against each other's energy targets, but the rhetoric from Moscow and Kyiv suggested they remained far apart.

Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, said the US side told Kyiv the deals were effective as soon as they were announced. But the Kremlin said the Black Sea agreement would not enter force until a sanctioned Russian state bank was reconnected to the international payment system. Europe said that would not happen until a Russian withdrawal from Ukraine.

The Kremlin contends it has already been implementing a pause on energy attacks since March 18, though a senior Ukrainian presidential official said Russia had attacked eight Ukrainian energy facilities since that date.

On paper, the agreements are a tangible step towards a ceasefire after Russia launched its February 2022 invasion, unleashing the biggest conflict in Europe since World War Two that rages on along a 1,000-km (600-mile) front line.

Led by Donald Trump, who wants a quick peace, the United States on Tuesday published two separate joint statements with Moscow and Kyiv outlining the deals, but neither document set out a clear timeline for their implementation.

Overnight, Russia said it had taken down nine drones, including two over the Black Sea. It also said Ukraine tried to attack a gas storage facility in Russian-occupied Crimea and energy infrastructure in Russia's Kursk and Bryansk regions. Ukraine said it conducted no such strikes.

Ukraine's military reported 117 Russian drone attacks overnight. Local officials said the city of Kryvyi Rih had been hit by the biggest drone attack it has faced yet.

Zelenskiy called on the United States to further sanction Moscow, which he said was clearly not pursuing a "real peace" after the latest night of Russian drone attacks.

"Launching such large-scale attacks after ceasefire negotiations is a clear signal to the whole world that Moscow is not going to pursue real peace," Zelenskiy wrote on X.

ACTIONS NOT WORDS

Diplomats have told Reuters that most of the curbs the Kremlin says should be lifted before a Black Sea truce comes into effect relate to European Union sanctions and restrictions.

The EU said it was not targeting trade in food, grain or fertilizers in any way and made clear it would not budge on sanctions while Russian forces remained in Ukraine.

"The end of the Russian unprovoked and unjustified aggression in Ukraine and unconditional withdrawal of all Russian military forces from the entire territory of Ukraine would be one of the main preconditions to amend or lift sanctions," a spokesperson for the EU's executive commission said.

European nations trying to create security arrangements for Ukraine are shifting from sending troops to alternative ways of protecting Ukraine's skies, seas and borders as they face political and logistical constraints, officials told Reuters.

A senior European defense official said everything would depend on prospects for a ceasefire, adding that he was not optimistic.

Nightly Russian drone attacks have been a feature of life in Ukrainian cities for many months. So have power outages as missiles have hammered the power grid, although Russian attacks have targeted gas facilities more recently. Kyiv has used drones to hit Russian oil facilities to strike back at its larger foe.

Zelenskiy said: "Everyone who was affected must be given assistance. But there must also be clear pressure and strong action from the world on Russia – more pressure, more sanctions from the United States – to stop Russian strikes."

The Ukrainian statements did not say that Russia had hit energy infrastructure with its latest attack.

At least 15 explosions detonated in Zelenskiy's hometown of Kryvyi Rih overnight during a Russian drone attack, though no one was killed or injured, according to Oleksandr Vilkul, head of the military administration.

"Apparently, this is how the occupiers 'want peace'," he said.

Seven Russian drones were shot down over the southern region of Mykolaiv, whose port provides access to the Black Sea and has been closed since Russia's full-scale invasion, the governor said.

In the city of Okhtyrka in the border region of Sumy, the local governor said Russian drones damaged two apartment buildings, an administrative building and businesses.

Reuters could not independently verify the reports from either side about the various attacks.



Malta Offers to Repair Gaza Aid Ship in Drone Strike Row

FILE PHOTO: A tug vessel puts a fire on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience outside Maltese territorial waters in this handout picture provided by Malta Government Department of Information, May 2, 2025. Government of Malta/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A tug vessel puts a fire on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience outside Maltese territorial waters in this handout picture provided by Malta Government Department of Information, May 2, 2025. Government of Malta/Handout via REUTERS
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Malta Offers to Repair Gaza Aid Ship in Drone Strike Row

FILE PHOTO: A tug vessel puts a fire on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience outside Maltese territorial waters in this handout picture provided by Malta Government Department of Information, May 2, 2025. Government of Malta/Handout via REUTERS
FILE PHOTO: A tug vessel puts a fire on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla vessel Conscience outside Maltese territorial waters in this handout picture provided by Malta Government Department of Information, May 2, 2025. Government of Malta/Handout via REUTERS

Malta offered on Sunday to repair an aid ship and send it on its way to Gaza after pro-Palestinian activists said the vessel had been hit by a drone strike.

But Prime Minister Robert Abela said the Freedom Flotilla Coalition must first allow a maritime surveyor on board to inspect the "Conscience" and determine what repairs are needed, AFP reported.

The pro-Palestinian activists had pointed the finger at Israel, which has blockaded the Gaza Strip throughout its military campaign against Hamas, for the attack.

If the ship can be fixed at sea, it will be, but otherwise it will be towed under Maltese control to the Mediterranean island for repairs, paid for by Malta.

"In the last few hours there was insistence that first the boat comes into Maltese waters and then the surveyor is allowed onboard," Abela said.

"Before a vessel -- any vessel -- is allowed to enter Maltese waters then control must be in the hands of Maltese authorities, especially when we are talking about a vessel with no flag, no insurance."

In an online press conference, members of the coalition who had been due to board the Conscience in Malta -- including Swedish activist Greta Thunberg -- said they had agreed to allow the inspection.

"When we received this offer from the Maltese government, we consulted with all of our Flotilla Coalition committee members who are on board," said Brazilian FFC volunteer Thiago Avila.

"And their decision is that this is a good proposition from the Maltese government," he said.

"As long as they can guarantee ... Conscience will not be stopped when it wants to leave on the humanitarian mission to take aid to Gaza."

The activists explained the Conscience has no flag because the government of the Pacific nation of Palau had announced that they were withdrawing their registration on Friday, the day of the alleged strike.

Otherwise, they insisted they had made every effort to comply with international maritime law when embarking on the mission to take aid to Palestinians in Gaza.

According to the Flotilla Coalition, the Conscience was attacked in international waters as it headed for Malta on Friday, causing a fire that disabled the vessel and minor injuries to crew members.

Maltese and Cypriot rescuers responded. No government has confirmed the Conscience was the victim of drones, but Cyprus's rescue agency said it had been informed by the island's foreign ministry of an Israeli strike.

The Israeli military did not provide an immediate response when contacted by AFP.

First reported by CNN, a flight tracking service showed that an Israeli C-130 military cargo plane had been in the area immediately before the incident and had made several low altitude sweeps over the area.

Israel is known for conducting covert operations beyond its borders, including several during the Gaza war that it only acknowledged later.

The activists said the strike appeared to target the boat's generator.