Ukrainian firefighters extinguish a fire after a Russian drone strike in Kiev on May 12, 2026. Image provided by the Ukrainian emergency services (State Emergency Service of Ukraine / Handout)
The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it was premature to discuss the “specific details” of the process to end hostilities between Russia and Ukraine, a few days after Vladimir Putin suggested that this devastating conflict could be nearing its end.
Russians and Ukrainians resumed their attacks overnight, following a three-day ceasefire announced by US President Donald Trump that expired on Monday at midnight local time (9:00 PM GMT) and which both sides accused each other of violating.
“All the progress in terms of the peace process suggests that the end is truly approaching. However, in this context, it is not yet possible to go into specific details,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov during his daily briefing.
He was asked about comments made by President Putin on Saturday, who surprised many by stating that the conflict in Ukraine was “coming to an end” during a press conference on the day of Soviet victory celebrations over Nazi Germany.
The Russian president did not elaborate on this comment, which was accompanied by criticism of Western support for Kiev.
Donald Trump echoed this on Tuesday, stating that the end of the fighting was “approaching” and that he might visit Russia this year.
In a speech on Red Square, following a military parade without any military equipment for the first time in over twenty years and under high security, Vladimir Putin claimed that the Russian army was facing “aggressive forces” in Ukraine supported by NATO.
Negotiations between Moscow and Kiev under American mediation to end the bloodiest conflict in Europe since World War II have been on hold since the beginning of hostilities in the Middle East at the end of February.
“The president stated that Russia remains open to contact and work has been done in a trilateral format. He said he would welcome further efforts from the United States,” Peskov stated.
– Explosions in Kiev –
The Russian offensive on a large scale, launched in February 2022, “can stop at any moment as soon as the Kiev regime assumes its responsibilities and makes the necessary decisions,” assured Peskov, stating that Kiev “knows very well what decisions are necessary.”
Moscow is demanding territorial concessions from the Ukrainian government, including a complete withdrawal from the eastern region of Donbass, partially controlled by Russian forces. These demands have been rejected by Kiev, who sees them as a surrender.
On Tuesday, for the first time since May 8, an alert sounded in Kiev due to drone threats, with AFP journalists reporting explosions and anti-aircraft defense fire.
Drone debris fell on a 16-story building, causing a fire, as reported by the mayor of the capital, Vitali Klitschko.
The head of the military administration of the Kiev region, Mykola Kalachnyk, denounced attacks on “residential buildings and school buildings,” which, however, did not result in any deaths or injuries.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Tuesday of choosing to end the partial silence by launching “200 drones” against Ukraine overnight.
“We had declared that we would respond to all measures taken by Russia,” he added on social media.
According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 216 attack drones and decoy drones against Ukraine, with 192 being neutralized.
In eastern Ukraine, at least four people died in Russian overnight bombings.
A Russian strike on a residential building killed two people and severely injured a child, who lost a leg, in Kryvyi Rih, the hometown of President Zelensky, according to local authorities.
“After the end of the three-day partial ceasefire, Russia continues to kill and maim Ukrainians,” Zelensky denounced, calling the strike on Kryvyi Rih “cynical.”
“One person was killed, four were injured. The enemy attacked five districts of the region over 20 times with drones, artillery, and aerial bombs,” wrote Dnipropetrovsk regional governor Oleksandr Ganja on Telegram.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones struck a railway station in the Bryansk region in western Russia, injuring two railroad employees, according to regional governor Alexandr Bogomaz.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced in a statement that 27 Ukrainian drones were shot down during the night after the ceasefire expired.
