Ukraine to 'respond in kind' if Russia avoids mass aerial attacks, Zelensky says
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Ukraine will hold back "long-range sanctions," strikes on Russian military targets if Moscow continues to avoid launching mass attacks, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
"As for our long-range sanctions, yesterday and today, Ukraine refrained from long-range actions in response to the absence of massive Russian attacks. Going forward, we will respond in kind. And if the Russians decide to return to full-scale warfare, our sanctions for this will be immediate and tangible," Zelensky said in an evening address.
On May 8, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a surprise prisoner exchange and three-day ceasefire in Russia's war against Ukraine from May 9-11 after two ceasefires declared by both sides did not hold.
On May 4, Zelensky announced that Ukraine is declaring a ceasefire beginning at midnight on May 6 after Russian President Vladimir Putin said a temporary two-day "Victory Day ceasefire" on May 8–9 would take place.
Despite no mass drone and missile attacks over the past day, Ukraine recorded over 150 Russian assault actions, more than 100 occurrences of shelling, and almost 10,000 kamikaze drone strikes in front-line areas over the course of two days, Zelensky said.
"In other words, the Russian army is not observing any silence on the front and is not even particularly trying to. All of our Ukrainian units are responding in kind and defending our positions exactly as necessary," he said.
Russia regularly strikes Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure as it continues to wage its war.
Overnight on May 9, a Russian drone slammed into a residential building in the northwestern city of Kharkiv, less than 24 hours into Trump's three-day ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine.
