Emmanuel Macron has said that Vladimir Putin does not want peace, after a series of brutal attacks on Ukraine overnight. This comes amid a row over an alleged false flag strike on the Sudzha pipeline in Russia.
Kyiv claims Moscow ordered the strike on the gas pipeline in the Russia‘s Kursk region as a pretext to argue Ukraine had infringed the 30-day truce on energy targets. “Once again last night, Russia showed that it sincerely does not want peace. Full support for the Ukrainian people,” the French president wrote on X, alongside a picture of a building engulfed in flames.
His message came after Russia launched attacks on the Black Sea port city of Odesa. Three teenagers were injured in the blast, civilian infrastructure was destroyed and fire rages across the city.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called on “joint pressure” from all of Ukraine’s allies on Moscow to stop “such terror and Russia’s prolongation of the war”.
“This is what will allow diplomacy to work,” he said.
Czech President Petr Pavel, who left Odesa 20 minutes prior to the attacks, said Putin’s assault on civilian infrastructure indicated that it would be “extremely difficult” to negotiate with Russia.
This comes with Ukraine and Russia accusing each other of breaching a ceasefire on energy targets. On Friday morning, the Russian Sudzha gas pipeline was blown up, with Ukraine accusing Russia of conducting a false flag operation.
Russia’s defence ministry insisted Ukraine’s retreating forces “deliberately” attacked the pipeline in order to undermine Trump’s peace deal.
While Ukraine’s general staff denied the allegation, arguing the pipeline had been “repeatedly shelled by the Russians themselves”.
Andriy Yermak, the Ukrainian president’s chief of staff, said such “fake” accusations would not be believed around the world.
“Russian attempts to deceive everyone and pretend that they are ‘adhering to the ceasefire’ will not work, as the fake (news) about the strikes on the gas station will not work,” he said.