Russia,Ukraine Trade Long-Range Strikes04/28 06:13

   

   KYIV, Ukraine (AP) -- Ukraine and Russia targeted each other with long-range 
strikes, officials said Monday, amid continuing uncertainty about whether an 
agreement to stop their more than three-year war is within reach at the start 
of what America's top diplomat called a "very critical" week.

   The Russian Defense Ministry said its forces downed 119 Ukrainian drones 
overnight, most of them over Russia's Bryansk border region. In Ukraine, air 
raid sirens rang out across the country Monday morning. There were no immediate 
reports of casualties or damage.

   The outcome of a push by U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to 
swiftly end the fighting remains unclear, clouded by conflicting claims and 
doubts about how far each side might be willing to compromise amid deep 
hostility and mistrust.

   The clock is ticking on Washington's engagement in efforts to resolve 
Europe's biggest conflict since World War II that has cost tens of thousands of 
lives.

   U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that this week would be 
"very critical." The U.S. needs to "make a determination about whether this is 
an endeavor that we want to continue to be involved in," he said on NBC's "Meet 
the Press."

   American military aid has been crucial for Ukraine's war effort, and further 
help could be at risk if the Trump administration walks away from attempts to 
end the war.

   Trump said at the weekend he harbors doubts about Russian President Vladimir 
Putin's sincerity in pursuing a deal, as Russian forces have continued to 
strike civilian areas of Ukraine with cruise and ballistic missiles while the 
talks have proceeded.

   But on Friday, Trump described a brokered settlement on the war as "close."

   Western European officials have accused the Kremlin of dragging its feet on 
peace talks so that Russian forces, which are bigger than Ukraine's and have 
battlefield momentum, can capture more Ukrainian land.

   Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov discussed the war in a phone call 
with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, the Russian Foreign 
Ministry said.

   The two diplomats focused on "consolidating the emerging prerequisites for 
starting negotiations," the statement said, without offering further details.

   Russia has effectively rejected a U.S. proposal for an immediate and full 
30-day halt in the fighting by imposing far-reaching conditions. Ukraine has 
accepted it, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says.

   A French diplomatic official said at the weekend that Trump, Zelenskyy and 
French President Emmanuel Macron agreed "to pursue in the coming days the work 
of convergence" to obtain "a solid ceasefire."

   The diplomat said a truce is a "prior condition for a peace negotiation that 
respects the interest of Ukraine and the Europeans."

   The official was not authorized to be publicly named in accordance with 
French presidential policy.

   Ukraine, meanwhile, has balked at the possibility of surrendering land to 
Russia in return for peace, which Washington has indicated could be necessary.

   A key point of leverage for Ukraine could be a deal with Washington that 
grants access to Ukraine's critical mineral wealth.

   Ukraine and the United States have made progress on a mineral agreement, 
with both sides agreeing that American aid provided so far to Kyiv will not be 
taken into account under the terms of the deal, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys 
Shmyhal said Sunday.

   "We have good progress," he said after talks with U.S. Treasury Under 
Secretary Scott Bessent in Washington.

   "The main thing is that we clearly defined our red lines: The agreement must 
comply with Ukraine's Constitution, legislation, and European commitments, and 
must be ratified by Parliament," Shmyhal said.

   The war that broke out after Russia's full-scale invasion of its neighbor in 
February 2022 has developed a significant international dimension, further 
complicating negotiations.

   Putin on Monday thanked North Korea for sending what the U.S. estimates are 
thousands of troops to help defeat Ukraine, as well as allegedly supplying 
artillery ammunition.

   Iran has also helped Russia in the war, with Shahed drones, and China has 
sold Russia machinery and microelectronics that Moscow can use to make weapons, 
Western officials say.

   The U.S. and Europe have been Kyiv's biggest backers.