'Questions' remain on Ukraine truce idea: Kremlin

MOSCOW — The Kremlin said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin still supported the idea of a truce in Ukraine, but many questions remained about how it would work.

United States President Donald Trump has been pushing for a ceasefire between Moscow and Kyiv since taking office in January, but his administration has failed to make a breakthrough despite talks with both sides.

"Putin does support the idea that a ceasefire is needed, but before that a whole range of questions have to be answered," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Monday.

"These questions are hanging in the air, so far no one has given an answer to them," he added, blaming the lack of progress on "the Kyiv regime's uncontrollability".

Meanwhile, Trump has voiced frustration at the slow pace of talks, telling NBC news last month that he was "pissed off" with Putin.

On Sunday, he told reporters: "We're talking to Russia. We'd like them to stop. I don't like the bombing. The bombing goes on and on."

Last month, Putin rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, while the Kremlin has made a US-proposed truce in the Black Sea dependent on the West lifting certain sanctions.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday lamented the lack of a US response to Russia's refusal to agree on the ceasefire.

"We are waiting for the United States to respond — so far there has been no response," he said.

French President Emmanuel Macron echoed Zelensky's calls for a stronger response to Russia.

"A ceasefire is needed as soon as possible. And strong action if Russia continues to try to buy time and refuse peace," Macron said on X on Sunday.

On the ground, Russia mounted a "massive" missile and drone attack on Ukraine that killed two people and wounded seven others, Zelensky said on Sunday.

"The number of Russian air attacks is increasing", which proved that "the pressure on Russia is still insufficient", he said.

In Kyiv, explosions were heard in the night and smoke rose from the city on Sunday morning.

One person was killed and three people were wounded, the head of the city's military administration, Tymur Tkachenko, wrote on social media.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said "the body of a man killed in an enemy attack was discovered in Darnytsia district".

A missile strike partially destroyed a building housing state foreign-language broadcasters, the Russian-language Freedom television channel reported, saying that its newsroom had been destroyed.

Russia attacked Ukraine with 23 cruise and ballistic missiles and 109 drones during the night, the Ukrainian air force said on Sunday, adding it shot down 13 of the missiles and 40 drones while 54 others caused no damage.

In the southern Kherson region, a drone killed a 59-year-old man, while in the northeastern Kharkiv region, near the border with Russia, two people were wounded in an aerial bomb attack, regional officials said.

Russia's Defense Ministry said on Sunday that troops "liberated" a village in Ukraine's Sumy region, close to the border with Russia's Kursk region.

"A unit of the North group of forces, during offensive actions, liberated the village of Basovka in Sumy region," the ministry said.

Ukraine quickly rejected the report.

"The enemy continues its disinformation campaign regarding the seizure of settlements in Sumy region or the breakthrough of the border," Andriy Demchenko, spokesman for the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine, told AFP.

In Russia's southwest, a Ukrainian drone damaged railway tracks in the Krasnodar region, local authorities said on Monday.

"There were no casualties and no fire occurred," the administration of the region said on Telegram.

Separately, Ukrainian Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on Monday that Kyiv is sending officials to Washington in the coming days for further talks on a deal giving the US preferential access to Ukrainian natural resources.

AGENCIES VIA XINHUA