Russia wants to 'deceive America,' 'drag out war,' Zelensky says

Russia aims to "deceive" the U.S. and other countries in order to prolong its full-scale war in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his evening address on April 27.

Zelensky's comments come a day after his face-to-face meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Vatican, which both leaders called productive. Following the meeting, Trump questioned Russian President Vladimir Putin's commitment to the peace process while Zelensky reiterated Ukraine's call for a "full and unconditional ceasefire."  

"The Russians talk a lot about their alleged readiness to accept American proposals," Zelensky said on April 27, while noting that Moscow has shown no indication of preparing for a ceasefire and has resumed assaults across the front line.

"And every day of such battles at the front proves absolutely clearly that Russia is really trying to deceive the world — to deceive America and others — and to further drag out this war," he said.

Ukraine agreed to a U.S. proposal for a full 30-day ceasefire over a month ago, Zelensky said. Kyiv also proposed a temporary halt on attacks against civilian infrastrucutre. Russia has rejected all calls for a truce and instead responded with missiles, drones, and aerial bombs.

"Since March 11, when America proposed a complete and unconditional ceasefire at talks in Saudi Arabia, the Russians have used almost 8,500 aerial bombs, almost 200 missiles of various types, and almost 3,000 Shaheds. The vast majority of them have been on ordinary cities, on civilian targets," Zelensky said.

The president called for increased pressure against Russia to force an end to the attacks.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that the coming week would be "crucial" in the peace process and could determine whether Washington withdraws from its role as a mediator.

"This is going to be a really important week in which we're going to have to decide whether we want to continue to engage in this effort, or whether it's time for us to shift our focus to other issues that are just as, if not more, important," Rubio told NBC.

After promising repeatedly to end the war in Ukraine "in 24 hours" and later amending that to "100 days," Trump has changed his tune in recent comments. Speaking to reporters on April 18, Trump threatened to abandon the peace talks altogether if either side proved "difficult."

The U.S. proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine reportedly includes terms more favorable to Moscow, including formal recognition of the illegal annexation of Crimea and a promise to lift sanctions. The plan also lacks security guarantees for Ukraine.

Ukraine and Europe have created an alternative peace proposal that contains "robust security guarantees" and no promises of territorial concessions before a complete ceasefire is implemented.