Russian troops amass at Ukraine border as Zelensky accuses Putin of ‘prolonging’ war

Russia is amassing troops along its border with Ukraine for a looming attack while Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin ignores a US-backed cease-fire proposal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says.

Zelensky said late Saturday that it is clear Russia is not interested in peace and only intent on “prolonging the war” by rebuffing a Washington- and Kyiv-backed proposal calling for a 30-day cease-fire to establish an end to the Kremlin’s three-year invasion.

“The buildup of Russian forces indicates that Moscow intends to keep ignoring diplomacy,” Zelensky said, referring to Moscow amassing its forces along the border in the Sumy region, where Russian soldiers have recently been trying to get a foothold.

“It is clear that Russia is prolonging the war,” the Ukrainian president said.

“We are aware of this and will counter it,” he added. “I would like all partners to understand exactly what Putin is planning, what he is preparing for and what he will be ignoring.”

Putin rejected the terms of the cease-fire Thursday, demanding that the US and rest of the West stop arming Kyiv before the Kremlin can even consider such an arrangement.

“We agree with proposals to cease hostilities [in Ukraine], but this cessation must lead to a long-term peace and eliminate the root cause of the initial crisis,” Putin said without defining what he felt was the “cause.”

President Trump, whose presidential campaign vowed to end the war, has threatened to impose new sanctions and tariffs against Moscow if it continues to show its unwillingness to move toward peace.

Intense battles along the Ukraine-Russia border have continued since then, with Moscow launching about 90 drones into Ukraine overnight in the Chernihiv, Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa regions, according to Kyiv’s air force.

Ukraine retaliated with its own drone strikes, with debris in southwestern Russia sparking a fire near an oil refinery, causing nearby airports to temporarily halt flights, according to reports.

The recent fighting has forced Ukraine to retreat from nearly all of its conquered territory in Kursk, where Kyiv had mounted a surprise counter-invasion last summer to force Russia to divert its forces.

Moscow said no peace deal would be possible until all of Kursk is recaptured, with Russia’s forces allegedly trapping the remaining Ukrainian soldiers in the region.

Zelensky denied the claim of entrapment and said Kyiv still has a foothold in Kursk, which served as one of Ukraine’s strongest bargaining chips in the peace talks.

“Our troops continue to hold back Russian and North Korean groupings in the Kursk region,” Zelensky wrote on social media Saturday. “There is no encirclement of our troops.”

With Post wires