‘Reminder to world that Russia chooses killing': Zelenskyy calls for increased pressure on Moscow for ceasefire

In response to a Russian missile strike on a nine-storey apartment building in Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday (June 19) called for increased pressure on Moscow for a ceasefire.
The drone and missile strike on Kyiv early Tuesday (June 17) killed 28 people and wounded 142 others and was the deadliest the capital faced this year, said Kyiv Military Administration head Tymur Tkachenko.
Zelenskyy, along with Andrii Yermak, head of the presidential office, and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, visited the site of the destroyed apartment building in Kyiv's Solomianskyi district on Thursday morning and paid respects to the 23 people who lost their lives in the direct missile hit that brought down the structure.
'This attack is a reminder to the world that Russia rejects a ceasefire and chooses killing,' Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram, and thanked Ukraine's partners who he said are ready to pressure Russia to 'feel the real cost of the war.'
The Tuesday strike was a part of Moscow's intensified attacks in its ongoing war against Ukraine.
Russia launched over 440 drones and 32 missiles in what Zelenskyy claims was one of the biggest bombardments in the war, which began in February 2022.
This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected United States President Donald Trump's mediation offer for a 30-day immediate ceasefire.
Russia, in recent weeks, has intensified its long-range attacks on Ukraine that have caused severe damage to urban residential areas. However, Putin has denied the accusations, stating that his military launched attacks 'against military industries, not residential quarters.'
The Russian President also told the senior news leaders of international news agencies in St. Petersburg, Russia, that he was open to talks with Zelensky but reiterated that the Ukrainian leader's term had expired last year, and he had lost his legitimacy- an allegation that Kyiv and its allies have repeatedly rejected.
'We are ready for substantive talks on the principles of a settlement,' Putin said, noting that a previous round of talks in Istanbul had led to an exchange of prisoners and the bodies of fallen soldiers.
A new round of prisoner swap took place on Thursday in Ukraine's Chernihiv region, where Ukrainian prisoners of war (POWs) were repatriated, who, according to Ukraine's Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War or KSHPPV, were suffering from severe health problems because of prolonged detention and injuries.
Remarking on the exchange, Zelenskyy wrote in a post on Telegram, 'We are working to get our people back. Thank you to everyone who helps make these exchanges possible. Our goal is to free each and every one.'
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Thursday said that his country 'unconditionally accepted' the US ceasefire proposal, alleging that Russia's claims of its willingness to end the war were all 'manipulations'.
'It has been exactly 100 days since Ukraine unconditionally accepted the U.S. peace proposal to completely cease fire, put an end to the killing, and move forward with a genuine peace process … 100 days of Russia escalating terror against Ukraine rather than ending it,' Sybiha wrote in a post on X.
'Ukraine remains committed to peace. Unfortunately, Russia continues to choose war, disregarding US efforts to end the killing,' he added.
(With inputs from AP)

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