The Kremlin said Thursday it's up to Ukraine's president to end the conflict in the country, suggesting terms that Kyiv has repeatedly rejected, while Russian President Vladimir Putin vowed to press on with the fighting despite Western criticism.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that " Zelenskyy knows when it may end, it may end tomorrow if he wishes so."Peskov spoke Thursday as Russia freed American basketball star Brittney Griner in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, as the U.S. released a Russian arms dealer. Griner's case had become a major inflection point in U.S.-Russia diplomacy amid deteriorating relations prompted by the Ukraine war.
Putin recognized Wednesday that the fighting in Ukraine "could be a lengthy process." He described Moscow's land gains as "a significant result for Russia," saying the Sea of Azov "has become Russia's internal sea." He described a series of Russian strikes on Ukraine's energy facilities and other key infrastructure as a legitimate response to a bombing attack on a key bridge linking Crimea with Russia's mainland, and other attacks the Kremlin said were carried out by Ukraine. Putin also cited Ukraine's move to halt water supplies to the areas in eastern Ukraine controlled by Russia.
The Donetsk region has been the epicenter of the recent fighting. Russian artillery attacks struck the center of the town of Yampil, northeast of Sloviansk, during the distribution of humanitarian aid to civilians, Ukrainian officials said.
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