Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has criticised continued Russian strikes on his country, saying such attacks remain a "daily reality" even after a partial ceasefire agreement last week.

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Speaking ahead of ceasefire discussions due to take place in Saudi Arabia, Zelenskyy highlighted recent deadly incidents, including a drone attack on Kyiv that killed at least three people and a separate strike on Zaporizhzhia, where a family of three lost their lives late Friday.

Also read: ‘Difficult negotiations’ ahead: Russia downplays Ukraine peace talks before US meeting

In a post shared on X, Zelensky wrote, “These attacks are a daily reality. This week alone, over 1,580 guided aerial bombs, nearly 1,100 strike drones, and 15 missiles of various types were used against our people."

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"All of this weaponry contains at least 102,000 foreign components. That’s why sanctions against Russian terrorists must be more effective. Every loophole that allows them to bypass the sanctions regime must be eliminated," he added.

"New decisions and new pressure on Moscow are needed to bring an end to these strikes and this war. We must strengthen Ukraine and our army – with more air defense systems and real support. I thank all partners who understand this and continue to support Ukraine," Zelensky added.

Authorities in Ukraine said Sunday’s overnight drone assault on the capital left eight people injured, including a five-year-old child among the dead. Meanwhile, the Russian Defence Ministry claimed to have downed 59 Ukrainian drones across southern regions and Crimea, which Russia illegally annexed in 2014.

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Also read: Trump-Putin call ends after over two hours, White House and Kremlin confirm | Key HIGHLIGHTS

Trump envoy dismisses Starmer’s ceasefire proposal

In another development, Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff has rejected UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s plan to form an international force to enforce a ceasefire in Ukraine, calling it “a posture and a pose.”

Witkoff said: "I think it's a combination of a posture and a pose and a combination of also being simplistic. Russians are going to march across Europe. That is preposterous by the way. We have something called Nato that we did not have in World War Two."

Speaking in an interview with Tucker Carlson, Witkoff criticised what he described as a “simplistic” approach from Starmer and European leaders, adding, “There is this sort of notion that we have all got to be like Winston Churchill.”

Witkoff also offered praise for Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying, “I don’t regard Putin as a bad guy. He’s super smart.”

Also read: Putin prayed for Trump after assassination attempt, says top US envoy Steve Witkoff

He claimed that Putin had been “gracious” during their meeting ten days earlier and had even told him he prayed for Trump after last year’s assassination attempt. Putin had also gifted Trump a portrait, which Witkoff said “clearly touched” the former US president.

During the interview, Witkoff echoed multiple Russian narratives, including the claim that Ukraine is “a false country.” He questioned whether the international community would ever recognise the five occupied regions of Ukraine as part of Russia.

Although leading US negotiations, Witkoff struggled to name the five regions Russia has annexed or partially controls, referring vaguely to “these so-called four regions, Donbas, Crimea… and there are two others.”

The five regions are Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, and Crimea. Donbas refers to the industrial area covering much of Luhansk and Donetsk.

Witkoff said, “The elephant in the room is, there are constitutional issues within Ukraine as to what they can concede to with regard to giving up territory. The Russians are de facto in control of these territories. The question is: will the world acknowledge that those are Russian territories?”

He went on to say, “There’s a sensibility in Russia that Ukraine is just a false country… patched together in this sort of mosaic… and that’s what is the root cause, in my opinion, of this war.”

The US is due to hold separate meetings with both Russia and Ukraine in Saudi Arabia over Sunday and Monday to discuss the possibility of a ceasefire.

Also read: 'Putin will HAVE to come to the table': Starmer's 'Plan B' for Ukraine ceasefire

(With inputs from agencies)