Ukraine dismisses the possibility of ceasefire with Russia given intense attacks in Donbas

Kyiv – The Russian attacks to seize the Donbas region in Ukraine intensify progressively by the day. Ukrainian President Zelensky also acknowledged intense Russian attacks in the region, saying the situation was extremely difficult for Ukrainian forces. Senior Ukrainian officials warned that Ukraine would not be willing to ceasefire with Russia even so. A truce or any concession made to Russia could backfire on Ukraine, warned Ukraine’s Presidential Adviser Mykhailo Podolyak. Analysts have warned that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine could escalate in the next few days.

Russia has continued intense attacks on Luhansk and Donetsk provinces in the Donbas region. More than nearly ten cities in the Donbas region is being hit simultaneously with missiles, rockets and cannons. Severodonetsk and Lysychansk in Luhansk province and Sloviansk in Donetsk are considered the cities of main targets for Russia. The military units used by Russia to attack Kyiv and Mariupol cities have been deployed in this region. At the same time, the number of advanced army tanks, artillery guns and rocket systems has increased.

Intense Russian attacks have forced Ukrainian Forces to retreat gradually, and it seems like Ukraine will lose control of the Donbas region in the next few days. The Ukrainian President has continually made statements in the past few days about the conflict in the region and has acknowledged that the situation in Ukraine’s military has grimed. With the retreat in the Donbas region, Ukraine has resumed the language of peace talks and diplomatic negotiations. President Zelensky had recently said that the Russia-Ukraine conflict could only end with diplomatic negotiations.

However, the President’s advisers dismissed the possibility of a ceasefire within a few hours, leads to attention. ‘The (Russian) forces must leave the country, and after that, the resumption of the peace process will be possible. The war will not stop (after any concessions). It will just be put on pause for some time. After a while, with renewed intensity, the Russians will build up their weapons, manpower and work on their mistakes, modernise a little, fire many generals … And they’ll start a new offensive, even more, bloody and large-scale,’ said Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine’s presidential adviser.

Meanwhile, the United States has proposed to help Ukraine destroy the Russian naval Black Sea Fleet, a sensational claim by Ukrainian officials. The US has said that it ‘is preparing a plan to destroy the Black Sea Fleet’. ‘The effective work of the Ukrainians on warships convinced (the USA) to prepare a plan to unblock the ports, deliveries of powerful anti-ship weapons (Harpoon and Naval Strike Missile with a range of 250-300 km) are being discussed,’ a Ukrainian official Gerashenko said. There was an immediate reaction from the United States to the Ukrainian officials’ statement. The spokesman of the defence department, John Kirby, has clarified that there are no such plans. Earlier, claims were published that the United States had helped Ukraine sink the Russian warship Moskva.